
JOHN ADAMS. 



r 

Prime Movers of the Revolution 

KNOWN BY THE WRITER 

Being Ecmintsccnces anti IHcmorialiS 

OF 

MEN OF THE REVOLUTION 

AND THEIR FAMILIES 




By A/Tef'MUZZEY, D.D. 



FULLY ILLUSTRATED 



^ V 



BOSTON 
D. LOTHROP COMPANY 



WASHINGTON 


STREET 


OPPOSITE BROMFIELD 




\ 




V 




\ 



t ■ 



:? <■-• 



Copyright, 1882, 1891, 
By a. B. Muzzey. 



PREFACE. 



The purpose of this book is twofold. First, to 
give recollections of men of the Revolution, and 
members of their families, with whom the writer 
has had more or less personal acquaintance. This 
explains the omission of others equally prominent, 
and otherwise entitled to the same notice. Occa- 
sional exceptions to the course indicated will be 
seen, especially in the case of men very distin- 
guished in our Revolutionary history. Secondly, 
the aim of the book is to give records of these 
men in their public positions, and in their family 
relations both to those born before themselves and 
to those living subsequently to their death. 

I have thought it consistent with the plan and 
method laid down, to introduce occasionally tra- 
ditions and incidents not in the direct line of the 
men noticed, yet important as illustrating customs 



IV PREFACE. 

and events which did much to shape or illustrate 
their particular characters. This statement may 
meet objections, otherwise pertinent, of an appar- 
ent lack, at some points, of coherence and rela- 
tivity between the several parts of the book. It 
also relieves the writer from the charge of occa- 
sional repetitions, unavoidable in his plan. It 
explains, too, the need he felt, in some instances, 
of bringing before the reader narratives and quo- 
tations not entirely fresh, but still helpful to his 
purpose, and which can hardly be too often re- 
peated in American history. 

In a work like this — aboundino; in details, and 
resting, as all history does, more or less on proba- 
bilities — slight errors are almost unavoidable. A 
book of mingled reminiscences and records cannot 
alwaj^s name its authorities. I have, generally, 
avoided footnotes, — often not read at all, and 
seldom wholly agreeable to the reader. 

One chapter has been in print before, but it 
seems important to the completion of this volume. 
It contains a few statements embraced in pre- 
vious chapters, which could not, however, I found, 
be separated from their connections. 

Many thanks are due to those who have en- 
couraged and aided the author in his work. To 
name all those who have kindly supplied me with 



PEEFACE. V 

books essential to the completion of this volume 
would require a large space. And to add to this 
list the many who have given me assistance by 
conversation and by personal services is quite 
beyond my ability. I do not forget the call on 
my gratitude of those upon whom I had no 
special claims. Nor am I insensible of obliga- 
tions to those to whom, although previously 
strangers, I am indebted for valuable suggestions 
and information. 

I have been led by personal acquaintance and 
connections to confine my notices of men and their 
families largely to my immediate vicinity. This 
has occasioned a fear of local prejudices, and of 
injustice to those in other sections of the country. 
Our debt to them is very great. Lest it should 
be underestimated in this book, I have added a 
special chapter on the Patriots of the Middle and 
Southern States, and hope it may show at least an 
attempt to do strict justice both to the military 
and civil services of those States in the noble work 
of resolving upon and achieving our national 
independence. 

The work has extended much beyond the 
original plan of the author. If, in its wide range 
of characters, any part of it shall give the reader 
a small portion of the interest felt by the writer 



VI PREFACE. 

in the long line of illustrious men brought 
before him, in this cursory review of their high 
purposes and generous sacrifices, his reward will 
be ample. 

A. B. MUZZEY. 

Cambridge, November, 1882. 



PREFACE TO SECOND EDITION. 

The call for a new edition of this book affords 
an opportunity to correct a few errors in the first 
edition. The author has thought best, also, to 
give it a new title. These, with the alterations 
in its external appearance, will, it is hoped, add 
to its attractiveness, and make it more worthy of 
the friendly reception and exceptionally favorable 
notices it has already received. 

Cambridge, May, 1891. 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

Introduction. 



PAGE 

Importance of the Revolutionary 

period 1 

Needs of the historian .... 1 
Facts, the basis of history ... 2 
Materials for history largely bio- 
graphical 2 

Scope of biographies 3 

Influence of individuals ... 4 

Discipline in the French AVar . . 4 
Work of veomen at Lexington, 

April 19ll775 4 

Heroes in the ranks 5 

Desire for their annals .... 5 
Interest in Revolutionary families 5 
Political education in the family . 6 
Power of heredity .....". 6 
Loss of good words, such as home- 
stead 7 

Resemblance of parent and child . 8 

Webster on family obligations . 8 

Remark of John Quincy Adams . 9 
Influence of the families of the 

"Mayflower" 9 

Those of the Otises, Adamses, and 

Winthrops 9 

German, French, and English fam- 
ilies 10 

Dangers of indifference to our an- 
cestry 10 

Lafayette on the connection be- 
tween family and country . . 11 
Mutual help of the towns, and the 
Provincial and the Continental 
Congresses 12 



PAGE 

Menaces from the British throne 
and Parliament 13 

Strong men from good homes the 
need of the hour 13 

A hero to command essential, and 
a " military famiij-" .... 14 

Importance of the Society of the 
Cincinnati foreseen by Wash- 
ington at its foundation ... 15 

Relation between America and the 
mother countrj' 16 

Our British ancestors 16 

Alienation between Great Britain 
and the United States waning 
to-day 17 

"Era of good feeling" after the 
war of 1812 17 

Harmonizing influences .... 17 

Lecture of Edward Everett . . 18 

South and North unite after the 
Civil War 18 

Interest of Queen Victoria in the 
sickness of Garfield .... 18 

Love of home and of country one 
with love of kin, kindred, kind . 18 

Patriotism the parent of philan- 
thropy 19 

English victories for the right; 
Hampden, P}'m, Sydney . . 20 

Elder and younger members of the 
British family alike governed by 
high principles 20 

Change of feeling between the New 
and the Old World welcome . 20 



CHAPTER II. 

Otis Family. 



Harrison Gray Otis and Josiah 

Quincv speak in Faneuil Hall . 21 

The lineage of Mr. Otis .... 22 

Rev. Samuel Moseley .... 23 



Family of Samuel and Bethia (Otis) 
Moseley in the Revolution . . 24 

Colonel James Otis prominent and 
popular 26 



vm 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Harrison Gray Otis, when a boy, 
saw tiie Hritish Uegulars on their 
■\vav to Lexington 28 

Was "at the Latin School under 
Master Lovell 28 

Recollected to old age the excite- 
ment at the burning of Charles- 
town by the British . • • • 29 

Began professional life as a minis- 
ter . 29 

Left the ministry for the law . . 30 

Complimented by Bishop Cheverns 30 

Counsel in a theatre case ; eulogized 
bv Samuel Adams 30 

In 1811, president of the senate ; 
Joseph Story, speaker of the 
House; and" Elbridge Gerry, 
governor • • • 31 

Unsurpassed eloquence of Otis . 31 

His eulogv on the death of Ham- 
ilton . ' 31 

In Congress, easily tirst among 
equals 32 

Member of tlie Hartford Conven- 
tion ; its pure purposes ... 33 

In 1818 in the United States 
Senate 34 

Candidate for governor against 
Eustis; anecdote 35 

Otis and Quincy, anecdotes ... 35 

Burning of the Catholic Convent 
at Charlestown; "The old man 
eloquent " speaks 36 

Argues a case in court .... 37 



PAGE 

Invited to preside at 200th an- 
niversary of Harvard College; 
prevented by bereavement; liis 

intended address 38 

Toast of Mr. Otis 38 

William Foster, son of Harrison 
Grav Otis ; gifts descended from 

the father 39 

His striking illustration in the 

State Legislature 40 

His marriage with Miss Emily 

Marshall, "the Boston beauty '. 40 
Personal resemblances between 

parent and child 41 

James Otis, the patriot, the orator 42 
His course in college as a student, 
and in professional life ... 43 

His filial respect 43 

His marriage 44 

Connection with General Lincoln's 

family 44 

His speech on the Writs of Assist- 
ance 45 

Spirited letter to Mauduit in Lon- 
don 45 

Threatened with arrest for his 
paper on the rights of the col- 
onies 45 

Wounded bv a British ruffian . . 46 
Repeal of the Stamp Act celebrated 

in a song 46 

Otis retires from bu'^iness insane . 46 
Is killed by a thunderbolt . . .47 
His publications 47 



CHAPTER III. 



Adams Family. 



Personal recollec'ions of John 
Quincy Adams 48 

Anecdote of John Adams ... 49 

" The most dangerous man to Brit- 
ish domination in America" . 49 

Anecdote of his absorption in the 
American cause 49 

" Four pillars essential to a repub- 
lic " 50 

Anecdotes of English ignorance of 
America 50 

Oration of Rev. George Whitney, 
July 4, the day of the death of 
Adams and Jefferson .... 51 

Sentiment of Adams 52 

Oration of Webster commemorat- 
inir Adams and Jefferson ... 52 

Habits of John Quincy Adams . 52 

My interview with ^Ir. Adams at 
the ordination of my classmate 
Whitney 53 



Remark of Mr. Adams on a ser- 
mon of the author, Mr. Adams 

not sectarian 53 

The church-going habits of John 

Adams and his son .... 54 
Anecdote showing religious dispo- 
sition of J. Q. Adams .... 54 
My meeting Mr. P. P. F. Degrand 

at Mr. Adams's table .... 54 
Anecdote, " j\lrs. Pierce goes to 

Brattle Street " 55 

Character of Mr. Adams; "He 

knew not the fear of man " . 55 
His interest in slave emancipation 56 

Anecdote of Fichte 56 

Moral resolution of 3Ir. Adams . 57 
His youth full of promise ... 57 
Letter to his father in the tenth 

year of liis age 58 

Private secretary of Francis Dana, 
at the age of fifteen .... 58 



CONTENTS. 



IX 



PAGE 

Remarkable qualities of his mother 58 
Courtship of the elder Adams . . 59 
Suitors of Kev. Mr. Smith's two 

daughters 59 

Coolness of the father toward Mr. 

Adams 60 

Two sermons on tlie marriage of 

the daughters 61 

Jolin Quincy Adams inaugurated 

President at the age of tifty-eight 62 
Too impartial to be re-eleuted . . 63 
Fnithfulness, his motto .... 63 
M}' impression on seeing him in his 

seat in Congress 63 

What he had seen in his long life 63 

Honors at his burial 64 

An illustration of the continuous 
spirit of the best Revolutionary 

families 64 

Remark of J. Q. Adams on the 

name given him at his baptism 65 
Outlines of the family lineage . . 65 
Marriage of John Adams with 

Miss^Abigail Smith .... 66 
Marriage of John t^uincy Adams 
with Miss Louisa Catherine 

Johnson 66 

Sketch of the life of his son, 

Charles Francis Adams ... 67 
Samuel Adams, " the personifica- 
tion of the American Revolution "' 68 
The Revolution planned in his 
meetings, at the Green l>ragon 
Tavern, with a few kindred 
spirits 68 



' PAGB 

Testimony of .John Adams regard- 
ing Samuel Adams 68 

Language ascribed by Webster to 
John Adams, actually used by 
Samuel Adams . . ' . . . ". 69 

Portrait of Samuel Adams, by 
Copley 69 

Staked everything dearest to him 
upon the issues of the Revolution 69 

Samuel Adams and John Hancock 
at Lexington for safety, 18th of 
April, 1775 70 

" What a glorious morning for 
America " 70 

Account of Mr. Adams's personal 
expenditures, now first published 70 

Mr. Adams " no man of business;" 
this shown in his boyhood . . 71 

Receipt for eight years' medical 
attendance 71 

Charges for funeral expenses . . 72 

Tax-bill of the year 1803, with 
comments 72 

Bill rendered after the death of 
Mrs. Adams 73 

Anecdote of Doctor Samuel Dan- 
forth 74 

Legacies of rings to friends . . 74 

Mr. Adams strangely misunder- 
stood in England 74 

Anecdotes of the customs of his 
day 75 

Bill of Mr. Adams for three 
months' "shaving and dress- 
ing" 76 



CHAPTER IV. 



Quincy Family. 



Personal acquaintance with Hon. 
Josiah Quincy ...... 77 

A long line of prominent men . . 77 

Edmund and Judith Quincy come 
from England to escape per- 
secution ; settle at Mt. WoUaston 77 

John Hancock marries Dorothj', 
daughter of Edmund Quincv . 78 

Of his two grandsons, Rdmund 
and Josiah, the latter lived at 
Jlount Wollaston, subsequently 
renamed for him 79 

Tomb of Edmund Quincy, and 
record of his burial .... 79 

Neglect of ancient cemeteries . . 80 

Daniel, son of Edmund, had a son 
John Quincy, for whom John 
Quincy Adams was named . . 80 

Leonard Hoar's will, giving a 
" black serge gown to mv sister 
Quincey" '. . . 80 



Josiah Quincv, Jr., the patriot, 
died Ai>ril 26, 1775 81 

His son Josiah describes the old 
meeting-house in Andover . . 82 

Kindness to him of Rev. Mr. 
French 82 

The author's first personal ac- 
quaintance with Hon. Josiah 
Quincy 82 

Placed bv him on college com- 
mittees" 83 

Customs of the committees at that 
time 83 

Anecdote relative to Rev. Dr. 
Stebbins 84 

Mr. Quincy's residence at Cam- 
briiige 84 

Dignitv and attractiveness of Mrs. 
(^lilicy 84 

Mrs. John Adams, a right arm of 
strength to her husband ... 85 



X 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Washington's wife and motlier . 85 

Quincy's lapse of memory ... 86 

College presidency 87 

Anecdote of Otis and Quincy . . 88 
Adams in Quincy's oration ... 89 
His Boston Centennial Address . 90 
Oratorical resemblance of his great- 
grandson 90 

Lexington speech, 1835 .... 91 
Apt. quotation from Hancock and 

Adams 92 



PAGE 

President Walker's tribute . . . 92 
Quinc}''s estimate of Joseph Dennie 

and J. Q. Adams 93 

Antislavery sentiments .... 94 
Member of Congress, and mayor 

. of Boston 95 

Publications and statue .... 96 

Josiah a common family name . . 97 

Miss Eliza S. Quincy's note . . 98 

War of the Rebellion 9.» 

Edmund Quincy 9J 



CHAPTER V. 



Lincoln Family. 



Author's personal interest . . . 101 

Countess of Lincoln 102 

President Lincoln's remark . . 103 
Origin of the Lincolns in the same 

English county 103 

Thomas the Husbandman . . . 104 

Genealogy' 105 

Eev. Calvin Lincoln of Hingham 106 

Rachel Lincoln Boutelle . . . 106 



Family characteristics .... 107 
Gen. Benjamin Lincoln's life and 

services 107 

His facetious spirit 108 

Activity after the Revolution . . 109 

The Shays Kebellion .... 110 

Washington's esteem .... Ill 

Anecdote; Knox's friendship . 112 

Lincoln homestead 113 



CHAPTER VI. 



Parker Family. 



Family claims and origin . . . 114 
Settlement at Cambridge Farms . 115 
Captain John Parker in the Rev- 
olution 116 

His bravery and discretion . . 117 
Presentation of memorial muskets 118 
Lifelong acquaintance with Theo- 
dore Parker 119 

Visit to the Parker homestead . 120 

Famous South Boston Sermon . 121 



Wedding-day resolutions . . . 122 

Pulpit exchange with the author 123 

Mental and moral traits . . . 124 
Wish once expressed in the old 

cemeterj'' 125 

Monumental stones 126 

His prophecy and death . . . 127 

Everett's Eulogy on Jonas Parker 128 

Thaddeus Parker 128 

Ebenezer Parker 129 



CHAPTER VII. 



Their bravery in the Revolution . 
Irish and Scotch origin 
European and American 

record 

Colonel William Munroe . 



MUNROE 


Family. 




n . 130 


His life in Lexington . . . 


. 1.33 


. 130 


Ancestry in the Reformation . 


. 1.34 


var 


Immiijration of \Vm. Munroe . 


. 134 


. 131 


Clannish habits 


. 135 


. 132 


Captain Edmund Munroe . . 


. 135 



CONTENTS. 



XI 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Bkown Family. 



"Scotland" in Lexington 
Francis Brown's military services 



PAGE 

138 
138 



James Brown's memories of the 
battle 139 



PAGE 
140 



Rolls of the minute-men . . 
Sergeant Brown's adventure on 

April 19, 1775 141 

Character and death .... 142 



CHAPTER IX. 

KiRKLAND FaSIILY. 



Kirkland lineage .... 
Samuel Kirkland .... 
Mission to tiie Indians . . 
Revolutionary services . . 
Skeneando, an Oneida chief 
Return to Stockbridge . . 
Onandago, an Indian chief 
Visit to one of Kirkland's 
schools 



old 



143 
144 
145 
146 
147 
148 
149 

150 



Birth and education of John 

Thornton Kirkland .... 151 
Patriotism ; choice of profession ; 

training under Dr. West . . 152 
Interest in historj', politics, and 

the Indians 153 

Presidency of Harvard College . 154 
Rev. Samuel Kirkland Lothrop, 

D.D. ; lineage and ministry . 155 



CHAPTER X. 



Ellery Family. 



Channing and his grandfather . 157 
Wm. Ellery's education and law 

practice 158 

Declaration of Independence . . 159 

Letter on Amusements .... 160 

Theatrical entertainments . . . 161 
Horseback journeys; Hancock's 

style of travelling 162 



Meeting with the Adamses . . 163 
Patriotism, abhorrence of war, 

and other characteristics . . 164 
Unsectarianism and strong politi- 
cal feelings 165 

Transmitted hatred of Bonaparte 166 

Letter written in old age . . . 167 

Death at ninety-three .... 168 



CHAPTER XI. 

WiLLLiM Ellery Channing. 



Centennial commemoration . . 
Pulpit services and personal 

appearance 

Power of mind over body . 
Conflicting elements ; health; 

debtedness to his mother 
Liberality; Lovejoy meeting 
Independence of criticism . 
Father Taylor's remark 
Channing's doubts . . . 
Dr. Charles Follen . . . 
Slavery prophecy .... 
Modesty ; letter to Miss Aikin 
Coughing in church . , . 
Consideration for other preachers 

conversation .... 



169 

169 
170 

171 
172 
173 
174 
174 
175 
176 
177 
177 

178 



"Immortality;" differing treat- 
ment in two sermons . . . 179 
Thanksgiving at a funeral . . 179 
Impression on a child .... 180 

Fast Sermon in 1812 180 

"Perilsof the Union" . ... 180 

Curse of war 181 

Similarity of his opinions to his 

grandfather Ellery's .... 182 
Influence of his works and their 

translations 183 

Genius and goodness .... 183 
Author's visit to Lenox, where 
Channing spent some of his 

last days 184 

A monument merited .... 1^5 



Xll 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XII. 

Society of the Cincinnati. 



PAGE 

Its formation 18G 

Interest of Lafayette .... 186 
Wasliingtdii's letter to Count De 

Hochambeau 187 

Establisliiiieiit in France . . . 188 
Author meets trench and German 

guests, 1881 188 

Congress in Carpenter's Hall . . 181) 
I enacity of Washington's friend- 
ship, and Tory injustice to him 190 
Benjamin Church's treason . . liK) 
Relics of him in Cambridge . . 191 
Pictures of Washington and 

Burgoyne 191 

Their prnclamations contrasted . 192 
Unfaithfulness of other generals; 

Washington calumniated . . 193 
English ignorance about the 

Ke volution 194 

Loyalists; Colonel Vassal and 

Cambridge mobs 

Triliute to Lady Washington . . 
Insolence to "Mr. Washington" 
Hesolution of Virginian ladies . 
British writer in Charleston . . 
Margaret Corbine's recompense . 
Surgeon Thacher visits General 

Washington 

British hatred, and our dreary 

prospects .... ... 

Anbury on privations of prisoners 
Major Andre's doom ; British evac- 
uation, Washington's Farewell ; 

peace 

Washi)igton's progress through 

New England in 1783 . . . 

Whittier's poem 

Revolutionary and civil career of 

Henry Knox 

Washington's confidence in him 
Naval record of Henrv Knox 

Thacher " ... 203 

Baron Von Steuben 204 

Letter of Washington .... 205 
Career and habits of John Brooks 206 

His war record 207 

Washington's touching regard; 

civil honors 208 

Personal description 209 

Author's acquaintance with Dr. 

Joseph Fiske 209 

Destitution of soldiers .... 210 
Acquaintance with Captain Benj. 

Gould; his military prowess . 211 
Lafavette at Newburvport ; Daniel 

FoVter . . . " 211 

Benjamin Apthorp Gould (father 

and son) and Hannah Gould . 212 



194 
194 
195 
190 
190 
197 

197 

198 
198 



199 

200 
201 

202 
203 



Astronomical services of Professor 

Gould 

Moseley family in the Revolution 
Ebenezer Moseley, missionary 

and soldier 

Hon. F^benezer Moseley; offices 

and life 

Edward Strong Moseley; honors 

and financial positions . . . 
Family suffering in the Revolution 
Newburvport as an illustration . 

Washington's visit 

A remembered kiss 

Military and civil record of 

Timothy Pickering .... 
Jolin Pickering, the linguist . . 



John Pickering, Jr. 
Louis Baury in the Revolution . 
Frederick Baury in War of 1812 
Rev. Alfred Baury, appearance 

and preaching 

John Hastings in the Revolution 
Personal intimacy with Edmund 

T. Hastings 

Fxlminid T. Hastings, Jr. . 
Africa Hamlin's talents and war 

service ; a peculiar famil}' . . 

Asia Hamlin 

Job Sumner in the Revolution . 
Charles P. Sumner; othces and 

culture 

Charles Sumner; education and 

eloquence 

Senatorship and assault . . . 
Personal visit; national honors. 
Gov. William Eustis; medical, 

military, and civil services . . 

Literary honors 

Poverty 

Isaac Parker; personal recollec- 
tions 

John Popkin in the Revolution . 
Prof. John S. Popkin .... 

Anecdotes 

Constant Freeman; naval services 
Personal acquaintance with Chas. 

Henry Davis 

Naval career in Civil W'ar . . 
Acquaintance with Dr. John C. 

Warren 

Public services and humor . . 

Publications 

Daniel Webster; recollections of 

his oratory 

Famous will case 

Dinner at Porter's 

Remembrance of Webster and 

Wirt in court 



PAGE 

213 
213 

213 

214 

214 
214 
21.5 
215 

216 

216 
217 
218 
219 
219 

219 
220 

220 
221 

221 
222 
222 

223 

223 
224 
225 

225 
226 
227 

227 
2-28 
229 
230 
231 



231 
232 



233 
234 
235 



235 
236 
237 



238 



CONTENTS. 



XIU 



Webster's niajicnetic influence 
Nicholas Fish in the Kevolution 
Hamilton Fish; national offices . 
Public honors, and his personal 
impression 



PAGE 

239 
239 

240 



PAGE 

Gen. David Cobb 2-iO 

Revolutionary career and subse- 
quent valuable services; his 

portrait 241 

Civic career of Samuel C. Cobb 242 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Revolutionary Men in the War of 1812. 



War record of Henry Dearborn 243 

Subsequent offices 244 

Characteristics 245 

Services in War of 1812 ... 246 

General Jliller at Fort Erie . . 247 

An imcle's privateering trophies 247 
Lexington boys; personal and 

family memories of 1812 . , 247 

National songs 248 

Perry's great victory .... 249 

What grandfather called the war 2.50 

The great gale of 1815 .... 250 



The cold summer of 1816 ... 251 

Alarming portents 252 

Romantic career of Abram 

.Johnson 253 

" End of the world; " veterans of 

1812 2.54 

Recollections of Fenry A. S. 

Dearborn; training and services 255 

Authorship, industrv. and honors 256 

William Hull in the" Revolution . 2-56 

National honors 257 

Court-martial in War of 1812 . 258 



CHAPTER XIV. 



Oliver Hazakd Perry. 



Christopher Raymond Perry . . 260 

Oliver Hazard Perry .... 260 

Naval exploits 261 

Battle on Lake Erie 262 

Perry's note of victory . . . 263 

Amusing song 264 

Snuff-box 265 



The Commodore's family . . . 266 
Recollection of a celebration on 

the scene of the battle ... 266 

Vase and statue 266 

Testimonials, and early death . 267 
Matthew Calbraith Perry; Jap- 
anese expedition 268 



CHAPTER XV. 



Personal Appearance of Revolutionary Officers. 



Identity of looks and character . 269 

Washington's face and figure . 270 

TrumbulTs portrait 271 

Description of the opening of 

Congress 271 

A boy's effort to see Washington 272 

The President's dress .... 273 

His speech 274 

Portraits of Lafayette and Knox 275 

Lafayette revisits America in 1 824 276 

Baron Von Steuben's portrait . 276 

Brooks, Marion, Eustis . . . 277 



Engraving of John Lillie . . . 278 

Marked fatfe of Henry Lee . . 279 

Physiognomy in general . . . 280 
Personal impressions of our great 

civilians 281 

Clay, Calhoun, Benton ... 281 
Recollections of Edward Everett's 

thoroughness 281 

Autographs of the Cincinnati, in- 

cludmg those of leading Patriots 282 

De Grasse, Putnam, and others . 283 

Andros, Stark, and others . . 284 



XIV 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER XVI. 



Andrew Jackson. 



Patriotic ancestors and early 
military spirit 285 

New Orleans victory; Jefferson's 
principles; rallyini;-cry . . . 280 

Interview with Old Hickory . . 287 



PAGE 

Harvard degree 288 

National indebtedness to Jackson 28!) 

Ilis aniliition 290 

Boston excitement over the bank- 
ing question 2Jl 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Antislaveky Movement. 



The Union involved in slaveiy 
Curious receipt for a boy . 
Significant advertisement . . 
Henry Ware's interest . . . 
Canil)ridge Antislavery Society 



292 List of members 



292 
293 
293 
294 



Its record 295 



296 



Ideas of Pollen and Garrison ; 

sympathy with the former . 297 
Slavery in District of Columbia 298 
Color prejudice; boyish interest 

in negro neighbors .... 299 



CHAPTER XVIII. 



BouTELLE Family. 



Timothy Boutelle, the author's 

grandfather, in the war . . . 300 

Services in the Shays Rebellion . 301 

Visit to Leominister homestead . 302 

Sabbath customs, old and new . 303 

"The Cage" 304 

Childrenof Timothv and Rachel 305 



Timothy Boutelle's college class -305 
Paljlic services; military relics; 

a spontoon 306 

"Meltingof the caul" . ... 306 
"War record of Dr. Caleb Bou- 
telle; Charles Otis, and James 
Thacher, Boutelle 307 



CHAPTER XIX. 



Lafayette. 



Family and marriage . . • _ • 

Devotion to America ; testimonies 
to his excellence 

Recollections of him in 1824 . . 

Dr. Bowditch's enthusiasm . . 

Phi Beta Kappa anniversary . 

Everett's oration 

A brilliant dinner 

Personal introduction at the Lex- 
ington celebration 

Fourteen survivors of the battle 
of Lexington 

Lafayette's former imprisonment 

Author's last sight of the hero . 

The Rev. Joseph Thaxter's half- 
century ; • 

Bunker Hill cornerstone; Wib- 
ster in his prime; Masonic 
services 



308 

309 
310 
311 
311 
312 
313 

314 

315 

-315 

316 

316 



317 



Completion of the monument . . 318 
Rejoicings during Lafayette's 
journeys ; Newburyport ; Wash- 
ington's chamber 318 

Address of the Hon. Ebenezer 

Moseley 319 

A kiss at the levee 320 

Old comrades 320 

Tomb of Washington .... 321 
Lafayette's influence in this 

country 322 

Visited by Charles Pinckney; 
Rochefoucauld's remark; re- 



semblance of Washington and 



323 



Lafayette . . . 
The latter's courage in the French 

Revolution . ". 324 

Social hours of the two heroes . 325 
Marquis de Cliastellux .... 326 



CONTENTS. 



XV 



PAGE 

Visit to American camp . . . 327 

Lafayette despised for liis youth 328 

Cliarge of weakness 329 

Surrender of Cornwallis . . . 330 

Meeting with a veteran .... 331 

Keign of Terror 331 



PAGE 

Romance of Lafaj'ette's American 

career ; letter to his wife . . 332 

Return to France; death . . . 333 

Everett's eulogy 334 

Thanksgiving Day at the tomb of 

Lafayette 335 



CHAPTER XX. 

Emerson the Patriot. 



Ralph Waldo Emerson's ancestry 

and patrintisTii 337 

Chaplain William Kmersou . . 338 
Frederika Bremer and Emerson's 

mother 338 

Battle Hymn 339 

Emerson's father SIO 

Personal recollections of Emer- 
son's 3'ounger days .... 341 



Marriage service for the author . 342 

Father Taylor's question . . . 343 

Remembrance of lectures . . . 344 
Conversation with the Rev. Dr. 

Francis 345 

John Brown indignation meeting 346 

Edward Bliss Emerson .... 347 

Longfellow's funeral 347 

Emerson's burial 348 



CHAPTER XXI. 

The Soldier of the Revolution. 



Rank and file 349 

Contrast of the two armies . . 350 

Sufferings at Valley Forge . . 350 

Neglect by public officers . . . 351 

Treason at home 351 

General faithfulness .... 352 
Ralph Farnham the centenariiin, 
a representative Revolutionarj- 
soldier, seen by the author at the 

age of ninety-five 353 



A witness of the battle of Bunker 

Hill 354 

Moses Hale and Captain Wilder 

of Winchendon 355 

Town -offices 356 

Church and State 357 

Artemas Hale, character and 

habits 358 

Masonic address on his 95th 

birthday 359 



CHAPTER XXII. 



The Battle of Lexington: Personal Recollections of Men 

pjngaged in it. 



The battle narrative heard in 

childhood 360 

Importance of the first step . . 361 
The author's grandfather in John 

Parker's company .... 361 
A Menotomv veteran of eighty 

nearly killed 362 

Blood-stained room, and other 
traces of war in the author's 

ancestral home 363 

Prudence of Captain Parker . . 364 
Reports of eye-witnesses . . . 364 
Killed and wounded; Jonathan 

Harrington and Jonas Parker 365 
The schoolhouse on the battlefield 366 
Accounts of lookers-on .... 366 
Buckman house 367 



British evidence 367 

Hancock and Adams at Mr. 

Clark's 367 

Paul Revere 368 

Spot of Samuel Adams's immortal 

utterance 369 

Description by the author's 

grandfather 369 

Everett's oration 369 

Powder-horn 370 

Percy's reinforcements .... 370 

Pulpit and cannon-ball .... 370 
Heroism of Jedediah Munroe and 

Francis Brown 371 

Personal memories of survivors . 371 

Dr. Joseph Fiske 371 

Certificate from Washington . . 372 



XVI 



conte:jcts. 



PAGE 

Author's youthful sj-mpathy with 

Colonel Munroe's narrative . 372 

Town honors • 373 

Author's remembrance of Daniel 

Harrington's smithy and its 

relics 373 

Bell-tongue 373 

Mrs. Harrington, a daughter of 

Col. Robert Jlunroe . .' . 374 
Lieut. William Tidd's account of 

the Regulars 37.5 

His appearance in old age . . . 375 
Family and war services of Isaac 

Hastings • 375 

Family, and incidents of his life 376 
Acquaintance with the author . 377 
Depositions concerning the battle 

of Lexington 378 

Conflicting British accounts . . 379 
Connection of the Loring family 

with the battle; church plate 

buried ; statement of losses . 380 
Anecdote of Polly Loring . . . 381 
Details of liritish ravages . . . 382 
Author's recollection of Benjamin 

Wellington 382 



PAGE 

Revolutionary record and town 
services of Wellington and the 

Masons 383 

Joseph Estabrook as a soldier and 

preacher 384 

Women of the Revolution . . 385 

Amos Locke's house and services 386 
Personal recollections of Joel 

Viies 386 

Family relations with John Park- 
hurst and Joshua Reed . . . 387 
Ebenezer Simonds and family . 388 

The last survivor 388 

JIany Harringtons and Munroes 

in two wars 389 

Jonathan Harrington's mother . 390 

A babe's inheritance .... 390 
Average age of the survivors; 

remarkable coincidence . . . 391 

Anniversary Sernwn .... 391 
Characters and estates of the 

Patriots 392 

American peasantry and Lord 

Percy 392 

Patriotic lessons 393 

Peace restored 394 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

Men of the Southern and Middle States in the Revolution. 



The Revolution not the work of 

New England alone .... 395 
The Virginian leader .... 396 
Southern earnestness and adven- 
tures 397 

Florida, theCarolinas, and Middle 

States 398 

Yorktown 399 

Revolutionnrv halls in Boston and 

Philadelphia .'599 

Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson 400 
Advanced patriotism of the Lees 

of Virginia 401 

Thomas Nelson and John Laurens 401 
Rutledge of South Carolina, and 

General Marion 402 

General Sumter 403 

His civil and military services . 404 

Francis Kinlock Huger .... 405 

New Jersey as a battle-ground . 405 



The Keystone State 406 

Anthonv Wavne 407 

Thomas' MifHin 408 

General Muhlenberg, the gown 

and the sword 409 

Tench Tilghnian and Mordecai 

Gist of Maryland 410 

General Screvener 410 

Lvman Hall's mission to Massa- 

'chusetts 411 

Button Guinnett of Georgia . .411 

New York a pivotal colony . . 411 
The Livingstons and Gen. James 

Clinton" 412 

Military, literary, and financial 

career of Alexander Hamilton 413 

Ticonderoga 414 

Washington's Farewell .... 414 

British evacuation 415 

Centennial of 1883 415 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



PAGE 

Washington 15 

Garfield 20 

Master Lovell, and the Old Latin School .... 35 
Adams Opposing the Stamp Act from the Old 

State House 48 

Old South Church 76 

John Hancock 78 

Quadrangle, Harvard College 83 

Plan of the Town of Boston, 1775 90 

First Meeting-House in Salem 129 

Hancock House, Boston 137 

The Old and the New 153 

Dorothy Hancock's Reception 156 

Bunker Hill Monument 168 

Battle of Bunker Hill 208 

Liberty Tree, Boston 242 

The Washington Elm 259 

The Holmes House in Cambridge 268 



XVIU LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGS 

The Stocks 299 

Lafayette 308 

Mount Vernon 336 

James Russell Lowell 348 

Amos Muzzky, in Capt. Parker's Company, Aprii ID, 1775 . 360 

Battle of Lexington 304 

Minute Man, 1775 377 

Diagram of Lexington Roads 387 

Lexington Monument 388 

The English Right of Search 39i 

Washington Crossing the Delaware 405 

Diagram of Concord Village 416 



REMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



CHAPTER I. 

INTRODUCTION. 

The period covered by the following pnges is 
one whose importance, whether regarded in its in- 
ception, its progress, or its consequences, is hardly 
transcended by any in human history. It brings 
before us a people, — although now, after a cen- 
tury, fifty millions in number, only three millions 
at the outset, — who, by their spirit, their pur- 
poses, and their conduct, at that crisis, challenge 
competition with any other on record. The char- 
acter and results of their w^ork interest to-day the 
whole civilized wgrld. But ably as they have 
been portrayed by men of learning, genius, and 
indefatigable labor, large portions of the field they 
have surveved are still uncultivated, and contain 
treasures for present and future research. History 
is looking anxiously for new minds to enter upon 
and do justice to this unlimited subject. 

But, first of all, the historian needs fresh ma- 
terials for his work. The centennial era, throiisrh 
which we are now passins;, is brinirinQf to liii:ht 

1 



2 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ever accumulating fragments and details, of ines- 
timable value to the accurate and thorough writer 
in this department. It is a time when wise men 
are reaching out in every direction for help in 
the 2:)roduction of broad, philosophical, and trust- 
worthy history. 

But the question arises : what is the basis of 
history, — true, reliable, enduring history ? Only 
one thing, — fncts. Over and over we have had 
theories, hypotheses, speculations, conclusions, 
based on nothing more solid than unreliable im- 
aginings. Not to discredit the imagination, in its 
legitimate and healthy exercise, or deny, or even 
doubt, that it gives essential aid to the historian, 
we are still to guard resolutely against the illusions 
into which it leads him who gives it a loose rein 
in the field of history. We are to know, as far as 
possible, while we read a book in this department, 
whether the author has gathered copious mate- 
rials from every authentic source, out of Avhich to 
reach his conclusions, or has advanced opinions 
resting on but slight foundations. History deals 
in general views and conclusions. If these have 
not been attained through a broad, liberal, and 
impartial array of facts, the more confident the 
tone of the writer, the less w^e trust him. 

What are the materials out of which history, to 
be trustworthy, must build its fabric ? They con- 
sist largely of biography. If the writer has stored 
his mind with a full knowledo-e of the men whose 
deeds he has undertaken to record, whether in 



INTRODUCTION. 3 

their individual capacity or as associated with oth- 
ers, and on every point, whether large or small, 
then we accept his work. The river cannot be 
pure, sweet, and healthful if its tributaries are im- 
pure, tainted, and unhealthful. 

This being so, no work is more important in this 
connection than good biographies. They are the 
life blood of a nation's history. He who can fur- 
nish us a volume giving an accurate description 
of the men who shaped the destinies of a people, 
especially at a decisive point in their fortunes, 
renders us an invaluable service. 

But the scope of these materials must be very 
large. We all acknowledge our obligations for 
good biographies of such men as Julius Csesar, 
Peter the Great, Charlemagne, Alfred, Napoleon. 
These, and the like names, we are apt to think, 
embrace the whole history of the countries and 
the times in which they lived and ruled. We 
look upon them as embodying, each in his own 
age, the whole fortunes of Eome, Russia, Germany, 
England, France ; and in many such instances, we 
are right. It is not too much to say that, at one 
period, CiBsar was Rome, Peter the Great was 
Russia, Napoleon was France. But we need cau- 
tion here ; for although, in barbarous periods, the 
despot bore unlimited sway over his people, with 
the inception and progress of civilization this con- 
dition often changes. The time comes at last 
when, not in despotisms or monarchies alone, but 
in governments of the j)eople, single men, and 



4 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

those not in liigli office, possess a personal weight 
and cany an influence, scarcely inferior in its power 
and sway to that of the ruler of the most be- 
nighted people. 

In all enliurhtened a^es we find the iijeneral 
truth illustrated that it is the individual, not the 
official alone, who carries influence with him, and 
does what most affects the destiny of- his country. 
There is a trainino; in circumstances that we are 
apt to underestimate. Some of the men who had 
been eno-ao-ed in the old French War, — not re- 
markable as seen at their homes in boyhood or 
youth, — when they had passed through that 
war, by their experience in it, and from previous 
British discipline, fought bravely the battles of 
the Revolution ; and by their efficienc}^, helped 
largely to carry through successfully the hnzard- 
ous undertaking of emancipation from the British 
yoke. 

The War for Independence, which began at Lex- 
ington the morning of April 19, 1775, called out 
a little band of yeomen, obscure men the day pre- 
vious, yet thereafter, as it proved, standing in that 
"imminent deadly breach," they were the germ 
of a nation's birth. Their number w^as small, but 
their spirit was large ; their influence became the 
very bone and sinew of the great men who, on 
other fields, wrought out the liberty of these 
United States. 

It was often seen that men in the ranks did 
brave things which no official title could have 



INTRODUCTIOIS". 5 

made more glorious. Many a man in this way, 
became, at some critical moment, a hero. We do 
not care to know where he had been, or how he 
had hitherto been esteemed ; it is enough that, out 
of unpropitious days, and amid stern fortunes, 
straits, poverty, or neglect, he carved a destiny 
worthy a high place in his country's record. Such 
men are nature's nobilitv, and we want to hear 
and know all we can of them. If they were born 
in obscurity, we would do something to bring 
them to the light. Every such life is interesting, — 
not the mighty and renowned alone, but the hum- 
blest who did what he coidd for his native land in 
the hour of her need. We say to the biographer, 
write out all you can tell us, of your own obser- 
vation or what you have heard from the lips of 
others, about these persons. Give us some account 
of their origin and ancestry. We think the stock 
from which they came must have had strength 
and value in it. 

This request is natural. I think the desire is hu- 
man, to become better acquainted with the annals of 
those who deserve well of their country. If we 
know nothing, at present, of their families, we wish 
to know a little, at least ; and if Ave know something, 
we shall be glad to hear or read more. And, even 
though w^e have read or been told the story of their 
lineage, w^e should enjoy going over it again. All 
who bear their name ought to become to us '' famil- 
iar as household words." 

There is good reason for this interest in the fam- 



6 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

ilies of our Revolutionary men. An influence de- 
scends, here as everywhere, more or less potent 
for generations. The son, it appears, had his pro- 
totype in his father or mother, or in a grandfather, 
or quite as often in a grandmother, so full of 
patriotism, so disinterested, so large-minded and 
large-hearted ; there is where the person before 
us derived the germs of those noble qualities 
which the war brought out. There are certain 
names in our history which, when we hear of 
one bearing them, lead us to cast a loving and 
reverential, retrospective glance into the fair fame 
won by their line. They are stars of a bright 
constellation in the nation's history. 

It is to be noted that, in the colonial period, 
often the family education was about all the chil- 
dren received on political subjects. Historians 
of the Revolution are surprised at the degree to 
which the broadest principles of government 
were understood by the mass of the people at 
that time. But the secret of it was in the com- 
mon conversations of the fireside. The father 
had not read books, but he had thought on the 
great questions of the day, and the boy at the 
table, and sitting by the bright New England fire 
on long evenings, all eye and ear, had caught the 
inspiration, and was trained to feel, and resolve, 
when he became a man, to act for his country. 

It is true there are sometimes degenerate sons 
in the best families, as there are illustrious men 
of whose eminence we find no traces in their 



INTRODUCTION. 7 

ancestry ; but this is not the normal course in 
domestic annals. Leaving out the often decisive 
sway of circumstances, — " environment," to use 
a word now popular, — we are more and more 
finding evidence of the power of heredity. Its 
subtle influence is sometimes detected where we 
least anticipate it. A patient and persistent mass- 
ing of details, pressing into the secret records of 
the family, going not only through written docu- 
ments, but the traditions of the past, interrogating, 
beyond kindred, tlie long line of neighbors and 
even transient acquaintances, brings to light at 
last traces of this great man in whose face, intent 
on reaching his every inmost trait, we are now 
gazing. 

Amid the restless and chan(»;eful character of 
the modern American fireside, we are fast losing 
many of those healthful influences which gathered 
around and went out from the dwellings of our an- 
cestors. Our habitations are no longer, as a whole, 
" the homelike nests " of those early days, " which 
had been warmed by the presence of father, grand- 
father, and great-grandfather, — every scratch 
on whose timbers was known and revered, — the 
very sanctuaries of family life." The good old 
words, abiding-i^lace, homestead, and the like, are 
fast becoming obsolete. A very okl house is now 
a wonder, its rarity attracting special attention. 
We may almost count on our fingers the houses 
in New Ensrland which have the ancestral lustre 
of those occupied in successive generations by 



a 



8 REMIXISCEXCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

such families as those of Otis, Adams, and Quincy 
There was an education in such houses, and 
place often became an eloquent memorial. The 
family traits thus descended, more or less dis- 
tinctly, for generations. 

We look for a physical resemblance between 
child and parent. So confident are we of finding 
this, that if a son does not bear the image of his 
father, we are sure he must look like his mother. 
It is not mere imagination which makes so many 
say, '• That boy is the very image of his father," 
while another savs, '• No, he looks most like his 
mother." The truth is, most children resemble 
both parents more or less clearly. The physiog- 
nomist reads human faces between their lines, and 
can detect resemblances where the unpractised 
eve finds none. 

The causes of these resemblances are not physi- 
cal alone, or pre-natal alone. Daniel Webster says 
with truth : " There is a sinsrular disrescard of an- 
cestry. There is a moral and philosophical respect 
for our ancestors which elevates the character and 
improves the heart. I hardly know what should 
bear with strong-er obligration on a liberal and en- 
liohtened mind, than a consciousness of an alliance 
with excellence which is departed ; and a con- 
sciousness, too, that in acts and conduct, and 
even in the sentiments and thoughts, it may be 
actively operating on the happiness of those that 
come after it." If the heritage of a grand na- 
tional ancestry is, as we know, a motive with 



IXTEODUCTIOX. 9 

many to worthy deeds, what should be that of 
our domestic hueage in past generations ? It 
argues a strange insensihihty in any one to care 
nothing, in this regard, for his predecessors. He 
who deHberately casts a blot on his family es- 
cutcheon sinks perceptibly in our estimation. 
Who, on the other hand, can doubt that the youno-- 
er Pitt was constantly sustained in his masterly 
course by the example and inspiration of his illus- 
trious father ? It adds to our veneration for that 
exalted statesman in our own land, John Quincy 
Adams, to see him put on record in his Diary, 
that " from the moment he knew that he bore 
the name of Quincy, given him by his mother, 
he felt, on through his life, a call to act up to 
the demands of that honored name." 

No people ever owed more than we do to the 
influence of good families. Begin with those who 
came to Plj'mouth in the " Mayflower," — Brew- 
ster, Standish, Carver ; to name the whole noble 
cataloofue is needless. Continne on, and down in 
the annals of our colonies we find tlie Otises, 
Adamses, Munroes, and how many others. Fol- 
low through the Revolution. Time fails us to 
enumerate our obligations to the great company, 
both in civil and military lines, of families either 
directly or indirectly related to each other. Take 
the Winthrops through eight generations, down to 
the distinguished scholar, historian, and statesman 
we rejoice to have today as our contemporary, 
and we see and feel that we can scarcely portray 



10 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the value of such lineage, and the full influence, 
domestic and national, of our American ancestry. 

So it has been in all nations who have occupied 
the foreground of history. What has not Germany 
received through her ever appreciated illustrious 
families? In that land the unit of society has 
been, — with few interruptions, throughout its vari- 
ous states and departments, — the family, sacredly 
guarded and piously transmitted. France, back 
to lier barbarous period, has attached high value 
to the domestic bonds of her rulers. The long line 
of the Bourbon family, not in the fourteenth repre- 
sentative alone, but in others of deserved fame, 
has verified the worth of this special relation. 
Our mother country never loses sight of her 
oblio-ations to the varied and shinino; list of Old 
England's Tudors, Yorks, Plantagenets, Stuarts. 

That her American colonies should attach a 
commanding importance to the distinguished 
families in their history is legitimate and just. 
The memory of great men is the richest inherit- 
ance of their country. We should be fjilse to our 
traditions, to the past, to the undisclosed future, if 
we allowed the domestic relations of our great 
and o-ood men to sink into neo:lect. Indifference 
to our American ancestors, to the bonds that 
united those sages and heroes in their special 
home relations ; to care little who were the pro- 
genitors of our Revolutionary men, or who are 
now standing in their line ; never to mark and 
commend those who are worthy sons of those 



IXTRODUCTIOX. 11 

worthy sires, — this were to show ourselves recre- 
ant to the rightful claims of those progenitors 
upon us, and Ililse to our trust as inheritors of the 
independence and liberty which we owe so largely 
to their patience in poverty, their toil to the bit- 
ter end, and their uncounted sufferings and en- 
durance — how often, to mortal agony ! 

But there are wider relations of which this 
volume would speak. Lafayette, as broad-minded 
as he was warm-hearted, saw clearly the interde- 
pendence of all our social relations. He gave, 
both in theory and practice, its just weight to 
every claim the world has upon us. lie had no 
narrow conceptions of his own personal rights, but 
he still merged his individual fortunes, at every 
point, in his love and care for others. It was truly 
said by one intimate with him \mder his own roof, 
as a friend and helper, " He preferred his family 
to himself, his country to his family, and mankind 
at large to his country." No man had more than 
he, in his early life, to attach him to home, — a bos- 
om companion remarkable for her virtues, graces, 
and culture, all the comforts that wealth could 
procure, and the promise of promotion and honors 
to satisfy his ambition ; but he left all these at less 
than the age of twenty, and, from his love of liberty, 
threw himself into the doubtful struggle of a peo- 
ple not bound personally to himself by any native 
ties, but thirsting for national independence. No 
born citizen of America could have sacrificed more 
than this foreigner and stranger did until the final 



12 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

battle was fought which sealed the freedom of 
America. Returning home, — after unprecedent- 
ed sacrifices on the soil of Europe, and labors for 
the civil and religious freedom of his own coun- 
try, with a naturally vigorous constitution worn 
down and exhausted by his eventful career, — 
he died, a Citizen of the World, honored and la- 
mented wherever his merits had been known. 

The spirit and example of Lafayette, second' 
only in their lustre, power, and influence to those 
of Washington himself, did much to bring out, 
call into action, and sustain the long list of men, 
a portion of whom this book attempts to describe. 
Their lives were in this way taken up into the 
life of the new nation. We cannot understand its 
institutions, or comprehend their purpose, until 
we have penetrated into the motives and actions 
of those men who, in this spirit, laid the founda- 
tions of our government. 

We read the record of the various movements 
of the people, their awakening and uprising in 
every direction. We see them gathering, associat- 
ing, combining, in large or small bodies. The 
First Provincial Congress meets at Salem, Mass., 
September, 1774 ; and, while it is in session, the 
Continental Congress at Philadelphia is also in 
session. And the latter draws encouragement 
and support from the former. Nor is this all. 
The assemblies of the Provinces are animated by 
the patriotic course of the towns. They are, in 
all directions, meeting, and passing resolutions full 



INTEODUCTION. 13 

of wisdom, of determination, and a wide-spreading 
influence. 

But to stop here would give us a most imper- 
fect knowledge of the true springs of power, the 
heralds of increasing strength, and assurances of 
final success, which marked this eventful period. 
Not only was there a constant menace from the 
British throne, the personal authority of its repre- 
sentatives, the threats of a horde of officials to 
withstand, and every form of intimidation by new 
acts of Parliament, more and more oppressive to 
the American Colonies, to encounter, but the 
people themselves were by no means wholly 
united in their resistance to this array of ob- 
stacles to their freedom and independence. 

What was needed to encounter this host of dif- 
ficulties ? Strong men to rise up out of families, 
distinguished, or perhaps as yet obscure, and ex- 
press the growing indignation of a people con- 
scious of their rights, and wanting only a sense 
of ability and means to assert them. Indispen- 
sable were a James Otis, " to breathe the breath 
of life " into the as yet feeble colonies : a Josiah 
Quincy, to write with a diamond-pointed pen those 
quickening words which he alone could write in 
the dawn of the movement ; a Samuel Adams, witli 
Spartan firmness and Roman wisdom, to do all, 
and having done all, to stand ; a John Adams, to 
step forth and, in the face of all timid and reluctant 
spirits, who Avould delay action and hope for a 
peaceable redress of the wrongs and grievances of 



14 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the hour, to say in effect, " Sink or swim, live or 
die, survive or perish, I give my hand and my heart 
to this Declaration of Independence." It needed 
a man, when the first moment had come for force 
and arms to work out our cause, one trained 
from his boyhood by a wise and devoted mother, 
who could take the head of our army, and — as 
judicious as he was energetic, as cautious as he 
was courageous, as self-controlled as he was power- 
ful, as persistent as he was bold, — to take up the 
work, and to gain and keep the confidence of the 
people. 

And more than this, our commander must not 
only be a hero himself, but know human nature 
throutirh and throug;h — to select the ritj-ht man for 
every new post and position, for his own staff (his 
"military family"), and for the command of the 
various lines of the service. Each State must be 
united, and satisfied with those withm its limits who 
should be selected, able to secure that union in 
which alone is strength, and that harmony of spirit 
and purpose without which this fearful and most 
hazardous attempt for freedom and independence 
would disastrously fail. 

The hour brought the man ; he, who alone had 
the gifts vital to our cause, was found. For eight 
long and dreary 3'ears the contest was waged ; the 
hearts of an impoverished and war-worn people, 
were now a little encouraged, and now by some 
defeat cast down, and well nigh in despair ; at 
length a victory clear, hailed at home and con- 
fessed abroad, crowned our arms. 




GEORGE WASHINGTON. 



INTRODUCTION. 15 

We owe this result largely to the steady hand 
at the helm which guided our vessel on ; but much 
also to the extraordinary^ adaptation of his subor- 
dinates to their several offices, and — notwithstand- 
ing those occasional jealousies, unavoidable in mili- 
tary as in civil relations — to the prevailing union 
of spirit and harmony in action of the officers in 
the army of the Revolution. This most observ- 
able and effective harmony of the men in com- 
mand, through that trying period, received its 
brightest illustration in the immediate formation 
of that association established on the close of the 
war, which has existed down to the present day, 
the Society of the Cincinnati, to be a military 
family, in its transmitted virtues of patriotism and 
high personal worth. 

In a work on Revolutionary men and their fam- 
ilies, the Cincinnati Society, made up as it is of the 
lineal and collateral descendants of Revolutionary 
officers, ought, we can see, to hold a prominent place. 
An institution was needed which should receive the 
sanction of Washington, of ^vhicll he should be the 
first president, and to which the officers of the Revo- 
lution should give their approval ; which should be 
favored by Lafayette, and of which, through his 
influence, a branch should be at once formed in 
France, — our noble ally in the war, without whose 
aid the British L'on mifrlit have never relaxed his 
hold upon us. This society was encouraged by our 
German allies, and Baron von Steuben and oth- 
ers of his country were members of it. Their 



16 REMIXISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

descendants came, as representatives of the Society 
of the Cincinnati, to unite with ns in our recent 
commemoration of the battle of Yorktown. For 
these and other reasons this institution deserves a 
much larger place than has hitherto been accorded 
to it in the historic and biographical memorials of 
the Revolution. 

Let it not be imagined that, in the notices of 
men of the Revolution which follow, I would 
lose sight of that great field which lies far be- 
yond our own special country, and encloses its 
claims. We ought never to forget that hu- 
manity is larger than any national limits. We 
separated ourselves, it is true, from the govern- 
mental control of England. But she was still 
our mother country, and it was as it is in the 
family when a son reaches his majority. Amer- 
ica left her old home, and became free, not, in 
the deepest and truest sense, because of war and 
violence, — but this country became free because 
it was of age. The time had arrived when the 
chamire was in the course of nature. 

We are to remember that very many of the old- 
est families of this country trace their ancestry 
back to Great Britain. In my boyhood I recol- 
lect my grandfather pointed out to me, in the old 
house where we lived, marks in the stairs of the 
attic, made by the prod of his grandfather's cane, 
as he went up to oversee his men at work on 
his large farm. Here was a bond going back six 
<renerations. The seventh took us to a British 



INTRODUCTION^. 17 

ancestor, who left Scotland, came to this country, 
and was made a Freeman in 1634. So are the two 
countries shown to be of kin by a comparatively 
short computation. Two parents, four grand- 
parents, eight great-grandjjarents, sixteen great- 
great-grand parents, carry us ere long into a large 
population of our own kindred and name. Our 
temporary national separations, like family feuds, 
are usually healed in a no protracted period of time, 
and we return to the normal harmony of the do- 
mestic circle. 

Thus the apparently wide alienation between 
Great Britain and the United States of America 
was destined in a single century to nearly disap- 
pear. After the Revolution had passed, there 
were disturbing elements still left, w^hich led to 
the War of 1812 ; but when that closed, the peace 
that followed was welcome on both sides of 
the ocean ; and " an era of good feeling " soon 
brought Federalist and Democrat together. The 
Northern and Southern States afterward came 
into collision, but Washington became at length 
once more a head-centre to our Republic. Ed- 
w^ard Everett delivered a lecture on that great 
man, and was greeted by enthusiastic audiences 
North and South. True, no power could avert 
that civil conflict which sprung from the raging 
fires of slavery. The War of the Rebellion soon 
came ; and wdien the old lady of ninety-six, whose 
hand in her youth had moulded bullets in the 
Revolutionary War, knit a pair of stockings, and 



18 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

accompanied the gift to our soldiers with the de- 
termined motto, " Let these toes always point to- 
ward the rebels," she represented the hostile 
spirit which animated every Free State of the 
country. But, the war over, in less than a score 
of years the South joins the North in celebrating 
the birthday of Washington, and now the family 
strife is fast fading out of sight. 

Most touching was the harmonizing effect of 
the disastrous event which took from us our hon- 
ored and loved Garfield, as it was seen in the 
domestic relations. The afflicted wife j-earned to- 
ward her down-stricken husband, and the aged 
mother mourned for her suffering son, and through 
weary weeks and months the pains of his long 
agony moved, not only our own millions of 
stricken hearts wath a personal sympathy, but 
the good Victoria, herself still mourning the loss 
of her own dearest and best, sent constant mes- 
sages from a spirit anxious through all the sickness, 
and bowed in the common grief at the death, of 
our beloved President. 

So have we learned the great lesson of the 
inappreciable strength of our domestic bonds, and 
that the love of country and the love of home are 
branches of the same earth-sheltering tree. Kin, 
kindred, kind, they all belong to a common vo- 
cabularv. The rills that start on the mountain 
side, symbols of the modest homes that grow 
heroes and patriots, flow into the rivers that glad- 
den the nation, and mingle at last in one great 
ocean of humanity. 



INTRODUCTION. 19 

The life that was nourished at the calm fireside 
is given in its manliest years, to the service of its 
country ; and, in the lapse of time the same men 
who stood up so bravely for their native land, be- 
come, by their generous deeds at home, examples 
and inspirers to the nations abroad. The War of 
the Revolution is thus every year accomplishing 
for the wide world a good, once not conceived pos- 
sible, in stirring patriots on foreign soils to work 
out their civil redemption, and thus scatters the 
seeds of national liberty broadcast over the whole 
civilized globe. The domestic piety that nourished 
patriotism thus becomes the parent of philan- 
thropy. He whose heart throbbed for his own 
hearthstone and his native land in her struiJ-o-le 
for freedom and independence, through her day of 
small things, may become a light to some aspiring 
friend of freedom elsewhere, and nerve him to a 
courage and conflict with oppression and injustice, 
until he too shall see the light of liberty dawn 
on his own country. 

We rejoice to think that our fathers came of a 
race whose lessons and examples awoke in them 
that spirit which had prompted their own sacrifice, 
and led, as it had in England, to noble results. They 
had behind them the record of English resistance 
to the oppressor, and of English victories for the 
right. They remembered what „the barons of 
England did to secure Magna Charta ; how Hamp- 
den fought the demands of tyranny, and Pyni 
led the way in the Revolution of their mother 



20 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

country ; how Cromwell defended the people when 
assaulted by royalt}^ ; how Sydne}^, the soldier 
and martyr, laid his head on the block " with the 
fortitude of a stoic." And thus at length the elder 
of the British family instructed and inspired the 
younger to quit themselves like men, and throw 
off the yoke even when laid on their necks by 
their own parental government. 

Thanks that all this is past, — that to-day we can 
meet in mutual respect and consideration to com- 
memorate what was so bitter to England during 
our Revolution. The change of temper between 
the New and the Old World of the forefathers, is 
most welcome. We live in a pacific and concilia- 
tory age ; and may the time past, the period cov- 
ered by this book, suffice both nations for any 
alienations and deep unfriendliness, or any acts 
contrary to the temper that becomes the great 
brotherhood of mankind. 




JAMES A. GARFIELD. 



CHAPTER II. 

OTIS FAMILY. 

Harrisox Gray Otis was, in the year 1828, a 
candidate for the mayoralty of Boston. The elec- 
tion being on Monday, as was the custom a caucus 
was held on the Sunday evening previous. Hon. 
Josiah Quincy was the opposing candidate. Two 
men of such ability drew a crowded audience. I 
regarded it as a feast to listen to both of them on 
the same occasion. Mr. Otis speaks first. His 
personal appearance is most striking : a large frame, 
tall, and well proportioned, with a bearing dignified 
and courteous, a true " gentleman of the old 
school," — his complexion florid, with bright eyes, 
and a pleasing and gracious expression, he prepos- 
sesses general favor as he rises from his seat. 
This effect is enhanced by a voice mellow, flexible, 
and admirably modulated. His gesticulation is 
graceful, his whole manner persuasive. He is, in 
fine, of the Ciceronian School, that of the con- 
summate orator. 

As he unfolds the policy he shall pursue, if 
elected, it is evident he strikes the right key for 
success. He is applauded at frequent intervals, 



22 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and resumes his seat amid deafening cheers. It 
is a trying moment for Mr. QuincA' ; there are 
few men who could follow such an effort entirely 
at their ease. Mr. Quincy, — a manly and noble 
fignre, and with the prestige of that ])ower he had 
exhibited in every station, from the humblest in 
civil life up to a seat in Congress, where he had 
been not only honored by his constituents, but 
"lauded by lauded men," — on almost any other 
occasion would at once have borne the palm over 
the ablest competitor. But, with a constitutional 
hesitancy of speech, he feels, it is manifest, an un- 
usual embarrassment. Mr. Otis, seeing clearly 
what he is attempting to utter, rises, and in a few 
flowing periods, gives an eloquent expression to 
the thought of his rival. The effect is electric. 
His noble magnanimity brings out cheer upon 
cheer ; and it is followed by a speech from Mr. 
Quincy, comprehensive, logical, worthy of the man 
and of the occasion. 

The lineage of Mr. Otis is so remarkable as to 
deserve notice. He descended in the sixth fjen- 
eration from John Otis, born in Barnstable, Dev- 
onshire County, England, in 1581, who came with 
his wife and children to Hingham in this country 
in 1635. He took the Freeman's oath in 163G, and 
was called Yeoman. His wife, Margaret, died 
June 28, IGoo. He then removed to Weymouth, 
and married a second wife, Elizabeth Streame. a 
widow. He died in Weymouth May 31, 1657, 
aged seventy-six, leaving a widow who Avas living 



OTIS FAMILY. 23 

in 1CG3. Jolm, son of John, born in England, 
1G20, married Mary, danghter of Nicholas Jacob, 
in 1652, and died January 16, 1683. He lived 
first in Mingham ; then at Scituate in 1661 ; went to 
Barnstable in 1678, and took the Otis Farm ; 
and finally returned to Scituate, and died there 
January 16, 1683. 

John Otis, called " Colonel John," son of John, 
son of John, born in 1657 in Hingham, settled in 
Barnstable. He possessed extraordinary abilities, 
great wit, was affable, and had rare sagacity and 
prudence. He was Representative twenty years, 
commanded a regiment of militia eighteen years, 
was Judge of Probate thirteen years, Chief Jus- 
tice of the Court of Common Pleas, and one of his 
Majesty's Council, 1706-27. He married Mercy 
Bacon, July 18, 1683, and died September 23, 
1727, aged seventy. Joseph, brother of the 
above, was Judge of the Court of Common 
Pleas, 1703-14, and Representative from Scituate, 
1700-13. He was a "public-spirited man, of 
ready Avit and a sound understanding, and held 
in great esteem." His eldest daughter, Bethia, 
married first. Rev. William Billings, second, Rev. 
Samuel Moseley. She was born November 20, 
1703, and died May 29, 1750, aged forty-seven. 
The " New England Historical Register " says : 
" She descended from an illustrious ancestry, be- 
came successively the wife of two ministers, and, 
what is more, was one of the subscribers for 
' Prince's Chronology.' " Her second husband, 



£4 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Rev. Samuel Moseley, was born August 15. 1708. 
He graduated at Harvard College, 1729, studied 
for the ministry, and was chaplain to Governor 
Belcher, at Castle William. In 1734 he was pastor 
at Windham, Connecticut ; he was forty-eight years 
in the active ministry, and died July 26, 1791, 
aged eighty-three. " He was an accomplished 
gentleman and scholar, intrepid in whatever he 
thought his duty, both with regard to practice 
and opinion, but open to conviction, and frank in 
confessing his mistakes. Nine years a paralytic, 
his reason was undisturbed, and he continued 
patient, resigned, and full of faith to the last." 

Among the children of Samuel and Bethia (Otis) 
Moseley was Samuel, born April 27, 1739. He 
Avas at the battle of Bunker Hill, Corporal of 
Captain Knowlton's Company, and the tradition 
is that he was killed and buried on the ground. 
Anna, daughter of Rev. Samuel and Bethia (Otis) 
Moseley, born May 23, 1746, died March 6, 1815. 
She married Deacon Daniel Dunham of Lebanon, 
Connecticut. They had twelve children, of whom 
Colonel Josiah, the eldest, graduated at Dart- 
mouth College in 1789, and was appointed in 1703, 
by General Washington, a captain in the regular 
army. He left the army in 1808 ; and was Secre- 
tary of State in Vermont, and aid to the Governor, 
with the rank of colonel. In 1821 he established 
a female academy at Lexington, Kentucky, M'liich 
had a wide reiDutation. He married Susan Hedge, 
sister of Professor Hedt>:e of Harvard Colleire. 



OTIS FAMILY. 25 

He was bom April 7, 1769, and died May 10, 
1844. 

Nathaniel Otis, born 1690, brother of John, born 
in 1687, was a prominent man, who settled in 
Sandwich. He was Register of Probate several 
years, and died in December, 1739. He married 
Abigail Russel, daughter of Rev. Jonathan Russel, 
who was ordained at Barnstable in 1683. Presi- 
dent Stiles says : " She was every way a woman of 
superior excellence, of exceedingly good natural 
abilities, possessed of natural dignity and respect- 
ability, of considerable reading, and extensive ob- 
servation." She died March 30, 1744. Their 
children were Abigail, born August 19, 1712 ; 
Nathaniel, born April 16, 1716, and died early ; 
Martha, born December 11, 1719, married Edward 
Freeman of Sandwich, whose son was Nathaniel 
Freeman of Revolutionary fame ; Solomon, born 
1696, third son of Colonel John, graduated at 
Harvard College in 1717 ; was Register of Deeds, 
County Treasurer, Justice of Peace, &c., and died 
January 2, 1778. He had eight children, four of 
whom died early. 

Colonel James, son of James, son of John, son 
of John, son of John, born 1702, married Mary 
Allyne in Connecticut. "■ She was a woman of 
very superior character." Their children were : 
(1) James, son of James, son of John, son of John, 
son of John, born February 5, 1725, — the Patriot, 
graduated at Harvard College, 1743. (2) Joseph, 
born March 6, 1723,— a General. (3) Mercy, 



26 EEMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

born September 14, 1728 ; the Historian, in 1805, 
of the '' American Revohition," in three volumes. 
She also wrote a volume of poems, and a poetical 
satire, '' The Group," in 1775. She married 
General James Warren, and died at Plymouth in 
1814, aged eighty-six. (4) Mar}^, born September 
9, 1730, who married John Gray. (5) Hannah, 
born July 31, 1732, died unmarried. (6) Na- 
thaniel, born July 9, 1734, died young. (7) Mar- 
tha, born October 9, 1736, died young. (8) Abi- 
gail, born June 30, 1738, died young. (9) Samuel 
Allyne, born November 24, 1740, graduated at 
Harvard College in 1759, and became a merchant. 

(10) Sarah, born April 11, 1742, died unmnrried. 

(11) Nathaniel, born April 5, 1743, died April 30, 
1763. (12) A daughter, who died in infancy. 

Colonel James Otis was a prominent and very 
popular man, as is shown by the address sent to 
him by the " Body of the People," met at Barn- 
stable, September 20, 1744, to consider " the late 
oppressive acts of Parliament," he being then 
" one of his Majesty's Constitutional Council " of 
that Province. They " pray " that he will attend 
" the Great and General Court " at its next ses- 
sion, and proceed to say : " that 3^ ou will continue 
those endeavors to obtain a redress of the griev- 
ances so justly complained of by the people, which 
have long distinguished you as an able defender 
of our Constitution and Liberties." 

The " Body " voted that their committee present 
their address in person to his Honor, James Otis, 



OTIS FAMILY. 2*/ 

and that ^' we will walk in procession to see it 
presented to our country's great benefactor and 
friend." Accordingly "the whole body marched 
in procession, with the committee at their head, 
attended by music, to the house where Mr. Otis 
was residing, — in solid body in rank and file," — 
and were courteously received by him, and he 
afterward replied as follows : 

" Gentlemen, — Your very complaisant address to me 
as H Constitutional Councillor of this Province, desiring 
me to attend my duty at Salem on the 5th of October, 
I am obliged for ; and for putting me in mind of my 
duty ; and I am determined to attend at Salem at that 
time, in case my health permits. 

' I am your very humble servant, 

' James Otis.' 
Barnstable, September 26, 1774." 

This reply of Colonel Otis " the wdiole Body" heard 
with their heads uncovered, and then gave three 
cheers in token of their satisfaction, and their high 
approbation of his answer, as well as esteem and 
veneration for his person and character. This 
done, they returned in procession to the court- 
house. 

Joseph Otis, second son of Colonel James, was 
appointed Collector of Customs by President Wash- 
ington, was prominent as a Patriot in the Revolu- 
tion, many years Clerk of the Court of Common 
Pleas, and a member of the State Legislature. He 
was a successful merchant, and a General. 



28 EEMINISCEXCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

After a long and honored life, he died Septem- 
ber 23, 1810, aged eighty-two years. 

Samuel Allyne Otis, born November 24, 1740, 
married first, Elizabeth, only daughter of Harrison 
Gray, Receiver General of Massachusetts Province; 
and second, Mary, widow of Edward Gray, Esq., 
and dauii-hter of Isaac Smith. He held several im- 
portant offices, was elected Member of Congress, 
1788, and, after the adoption of the Constitution, 
was chosen Secretary of the United States Senate, 
and, for twenty-five years, was never absent from 
his place. He died at Washington, April 22, 1814, 
nged seventy-three years. 

Harrison Gray Otis, son of Samuel Allyne Otis, 
was born in Boston, October 8, 1765, on the estate 
adjoining the present Revere House. He remem- 
bered standing, April 19, 1775, at the window, to 
see some of the British Regulars who were to march 
to Lexingrton. On leavina; his father's house after- 
ward, to go to the Latin School, he found the 
sides of what is now Tremont Street lined by the 
brigade commanded by Lord Percy, afterwards the 
Duke of Northumberland. The troops were drawn 
up from Scollay's Square to a point beyond School 
Street, and he was not allowed to pass into School 
Street ; so, going round by that square, he reached 
the Latin School in time to hear Master Lovell o;ive 
the order, -' Deponete Libros." There were no les- 
sons that day ; and Lord Percy marched out to 
cover the retreat of the King's Troops, and met 
them about half a mile below Lexinii-ton meetinsr- 
house, on their return from Concord. 



OTIS FAMILY. 29 

Before this, Otis had attended a school in Han- 
over Street, kept by '' Master Griffith." Every 
Wednesday afternoon the boys who had behaved 
well expected to receive a prize ; and it was this, 
— shellbarks thrown out of the window, for which 
the boys scrambled. 

He was nearly ten years old at the opening of 
the Revolution. His immediate ancestors resided 
in Barnstable, and he lived there when a boy, 
during the Siege of Boston. He recollected well 
hearing of the excitement when the news of the 
burning of Charlestown by the British reached 
Barnstable ; every one seemed ready to rush to the 
cannon's mouth in defence of the country. 

Mr. Otis, at the dedication of the Otis School, 
Lancaster Street, March 13, 1845, related many 
curious anecdotes of his early experience. He 
entered the Latin School in 1773. " What," he 
asked, " did the scholars then learn? A few Latin 
roots to squeeze them into college, and mere 
ciphering." 

From the Latin School he entered Harvard Col- 
lege, where he graduated in 1785, having received 
the hig:hest honors in a class in which were William 
Prescott and Artemas Ward. He began profes- 
sional life, it is said, as a minister of the gospel. 
Having preached in a country parish, not far from 
Boston, a certain Sunday, he was asked, as he him- 
self gives the storj^, by the deacon of the church, 
what he should pay him for his services. " What 
you think they are worth," was the reply. The 



so KEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

good deacon gave him a pistareen, — twenty cents. 
'' Upon that," savs Mr. Otis, " I thonght it expe- 
dient to take some other profession than the minis- 
tr}'." He determined on the law, and, having 
studied with Judge John Lowell, his decision 
proved wise ; for, after being admitted to the bar 
in 17SG, he became eminent as an advocate, and 
was distinguished in civil and political life. At a 
public meeting, on the subject of Jay's Treaty, he 
made a speech, at which time Bishop Cheveruswas 
among those who thronged around him, after its 
close, with congratulations. " Future generations," 
said he to a bystander, " will rise up and call that 
young man blessed." 

Mr. Otis was too young to take part in the 
Revolution ; but he bore arms in repressing the 
Shays Insurrection, 1786-87, which required the 
military services of every able-bodied citizen. 

In November, 1791, a town-meeting, in Faneuil 
Hall, instructed the Boston Representatives to ob- 
tain, if possible, the repeal of the act prohibiting 
theatrical representations. Mr. Otis opposed the 
repeal. It was on this occasion Samuel Adams 
said he " thanked God that there was one young 
man willing to step forth in the good old cause 
of morality and religion." 

In 1796 he was chosen to represent Boston in 
the State Legislature, and the same year he suc- 
ceeded Fisher Ames in Congress ; about this time 
he was appointed United States District Attor- 
ney for Massachusetts. From 1803 to 1805 he 



OTIS FAMILY. 31 

was Speaker of the Massachusetts House of Repre- 
sentatives. In the political struggle of the Massa- 
chusetts Senate, 1805, by a vote of nineteen out 
of thirty-seven, he was chosen by the Federalists 
its President, and continued in that office several 
years. What an array of talent was seen in 1811, 
when Elbridge Gerry was Governor of the State, 
Joseph Story Speaker of the House, and Harrison 
Gray Otis President of the Senate ! 

At the bar, meantime, Mr. Otis was, especially 
before juries, a man of transcendent power. If he 
had not the massive learning and strength of 
Parsons, or the majesty of Dexter, he fascinated his 
hearers " by his honeyed flow and brilliant sparkle." 
In the celebrated trial of Fairbanks for murder in 
Dedham, Otis and Lowell occupied six hours, with 
their wonted powers of persuasion, in ingenious 
efforts to save the life of the prisoner, although the 
unsurpassed eloquence of Otis failed of its aim. 

Among the recollections of my boyhood are con- 
versations upon the duel between Hamilton and 
Burr, which resulted in the death of the former. 
In our Federal family the name of Aaron Burr, 
of course, ever afterward, was a spell to conjure 
up all that is corrupt in politics and base in charac- 
ter. No greater contrast could be drawn than that 
between him and Hamilton, and that he should 
have brought death to that pure man, that noble 
patriot, that exalted genius, the friend of Washing- 
ton, the model of all excellence, was too much 
even for the mind and heart of a boy. Trained 



32 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

amid such traditions, with the high regard we 
entertained for the Otis family, it seemed to ns all, 
as we listened to the account of that day, that no 
man living could have done greater justice to the 
memory of Hamilton than Harrison Gray Otis. 
When he rose in King's Chapel, July 26, 1804, to 
pronounce a eulogy on that great man, in the 
presence of so many distinguished citizens of Bos- 
ton, and with Rufus Kiug amoug his auditors, it was 
indeed a memorable occasion. The nation was in 
mourning, and party feeling seemed, we are told, 
allayed at that moment. We may envy those 
privileged to hear the gifted orator of the day, 
as with consummate grace he portrayed the signal 
virtues, the masterly intellect, and the high and 
patriotic services of Alexander Hamilton. It was 
but just that near the close of his eulogy he should 
give this picture of the public feeling : "The univer- 
sal sorrow, manifested in every part of the Union 
upon the melancholy exit of this great man, is an 
unequivocal testimonial of his public worth. The 
place of his residence is overspread with a gloom 
which bespeaks the pressure of a public calamitj^, 
and the prejudices of party are absorbed in the 
overflowino; tide of national ii-rief." 

During the War of 1812 Mr. Otis was continu- 
ously either in Congress or in one of the legislative 
branches of his State, where he was often at the 
head of the one or the other. The people looked 
to him as their guide in all the trying scenes of 
that period. With a cultivated mind and com- 



OTIS FAMILY. 3 



o 



mancling eloquence, he was easily first among bis 
equals, ready alike with his voice and his pen. 

No impartial judge can now say his purposes 
were not pure. He was the last man — although 
then charged by his opponents with that crime, 
and although bis example was quoted by one sec- 
tion of the country in the late Civil War — to favor 
a combination, by discussion, still less by bloodshed, 
to bring on, through discord and strife, a dissolu- 
tion of this noble fabric, this glorious Union, 
consummated by the wisdom and sacrifices of our 
fathers. 

In 1814 he was a member of the Hartford Con- 
vention of the New England States, to consider 
some mode of defending these States and arrest- 
ing the grievances produced by the war with Great 
Britain. This convention was in session from 
the fifteenth of December, 1814, to the fifth of the 
following January. Their proceedings, it is true, 
were conducted with closed doors, and yet nothing 
was done unfriendly to the peace and harmony of 
the country. In the call to it the members were 
expressly enjoined not to propose measures " repug- 
nant to their obligations as members of the Union." 
After twenty days' deliberation they published an 
Address to the People. It spoke of the evils of the 
existing war, of the enlistment of minors and 
apprentices, of the national government assuming 
to command the State Militia, and of the proposed 
system of conscription for both the army and navy ; 
and yet it contained these very words: "Our 

3 



34 REMIJflSCEXCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

object is to strengthen and perpetuate the union of 
these States, by removing tlie causes of jealousies." 
Not to overthrow, but amend the Constitution, 
was their aim and Labor. They would equalize 
the representation in Congress, by basing it on 
free population; they were opposed to embar- 
goes and non-intercourse laws, and would make 
the President inelio-ible for a second term. I 
remember well the abuse and crimination heaped 
upon them by their opponents in my own town ; 
" enemies of their country," " traitors," and many 
other forms of calunniiation were often in mv ears ; 
but when the Massachusetts legislature adopted 
their report, and sent such men as Harrison Gray 
Otis, Thomas H. Perkins, and William Sullivan 
commissioners to Washino-ton, asking; Cong-ress to 
consent to the measures of a convention contain- 
ing the names of George Cabot, Harrison Gray 
Otis, Samuel S. Wilde, Nathan Dane, William 
Prescott, Joseph Lyman, Stephen Longfellow Jr., 
Daniel Waldo, George Bliss, Hodijah Baylies, 
Joshua Thomas, from Massachusetts, and others of 
equal ability and the same stern patriotism from 
other New England States, even we youth of the 
day felt somewdiat the wisdom, uprightness, and 
purity of the purposes of that convention, which 
father and grandfather daily commended in our 
earnest ears. 

In 1814 Mr. Otis was appointed Judge of the 
Court of Common Pleas of Massachusetts, and held 
that office until 1818, when he was elected to the 




JOHN LOVELL. 




FIRST LATIN SCHOOL, SCHOOL LANE. 



OTIS FAMILY. 35 

United States Senate ; and lie continued in that 
body until 1823. That year he was opposed to 
William Eustis as candidate for governor of Mas- 
sachusetts. Eustis had won fame as a surgeon in 
the Revolution, and in subsequent civil capacities. 
Otis was strongly opposed, among other things, for 
his theological views, being an avowed Unitarian ; 
while Eustis was of the Orthodox faith, and widely 
supported by that denomination, which gave him 
success at the polls. Mr. Otis, on meeting him in 
the street the next day, after the result was known, 
said to him, " I have no doubt you believe now in 
the doctrine of election." I recall the ficcure and 
face of Mr. Eustis at the age of seventy-two, 
grave and bowed with years, and that his clubbed, 
white hair gave him a venerable appearance. 

In the election of governor, 1823, Otis was de- 
feated by Eustis ; but, like many wise men in similar 
situations, he remarked long afterward : " My fail- 
ure in this contest was a mortification and a severe 
disappointment to me at the time, but I look back 
upon it now without regret. I regard it as the 
most fortunate event of my life. I have been a 
happier and better man, since I was thrown out of 
political life, than I should ever have been had I 
remained in it." 

I have spoken of the pleasant relations between 
Mr. Otis and Mr. Josiah Quincy. These continued 
throughout their lives. When Mr. Otis, as mayor, 
was inspecting the excavation of earth where the 
gravestones of William Paddy and human bones 



36 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOIIIALS. 

Avere discovered, Mr. Quincy, standing by, said to 
Mr. Otis : '' In the whole of my administration I 
have never been accused of disturbing the bones of 
my ancestors ; " to which Mr. Otis, coniphmenting 
Mr. Quincy for his great energy of character, re- 
plied with a smile : " Why, Mr. Quincy, I always 
supposed you never made any bones of doing 
anything." 

In 1829 Mr. Otis became Mayor of Boston, and 
held that office until 1832, when he retired from 
public life, although he occasionally took part in 
meetings to consider subjects of general interest. 

When, in 1834, the Catholic convent at Charles- 
town was burned by a mob, and the outrage brought 
the citizens of Boston to a meeting at Faneuil Hall 
to express their indignation, I rejoiced to hear the 
voice of the " old man eloquent," Harrison Gray 
Otis, with that of Josiah Quincy, and other just and 
good men, advocate a remuneration for those hap- 
less women and children Avho were driven by the 
fury and the flames from their home at midnight. 
The conduct of Bishop Fenwick in restraining 
his people from violence, the bold and Christian 
stand in behalf of the Irish Catholics taken by 
Father Taylor in a public address at that time, the 
earnest efforts of Chief Justice Shaw and of the 
Governor of the State to bring the offenders to 
justice, all combined to make those days memora- 
ble to all of us who would not only advocate but 
practise the religion of charity to everj^ sect, party, 
and people in our own and in every land. 



OTIS FAMILY. 37 

Never losing his interest in public measures, in 
1839 Mr. Otis headed a petition for the repeal of 
the famous " fifteen-gallon law," believing it un- 
friendly to the true interests of temperance. His 
old profession retained its hold upon his love 
to the end. At a late period of his life he con- 
sented to argue a case in court, when he was 
overheard by a friend of mine to say, " I thought 
I would come once more to the bar, and see if I 
had any of my old tact left." 

On the eighth day of September, 1836, the 
Alumni of Harvard College assembled in Cam- 
bridge to commemorate the two-hundredth anniver- 
sary of the establishment of that institution. The 
authorities of the college fittingly invited Harrison 
Gray Otis, one of the oldest living graduates of 
the college, to preside at the dinner on that occa- 
sion. To all of us who had listened to that 
eloquent orator, — of whom it was not, perhaps, 
too much to say that he was never surpassed in 
power of language and graceful utterance by any 
scholar and statesman of his native State, except- 
ing his noble kinsman, James Otis, and perhaps 
the accomplished Fisher Ames, and him who 
stood that day at Harvard in the place of Mr. Otis, 
— it was a sad disappointment that a heavy domes- 
tic bereavement prevented his presence with us 
at that time. It required a substitute no less 
cultured and fascinating than Edward Everett to 
satisfy our high expectations. 

Happily for us who knew Mr. Otis, yielding to 



38 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the request of his old friend President Quincy, ^vho 
gave the Anniversary Address at that time, he per- 
mitted his remarks, intended for the table, to 
appear in the record of the proceedings of that 
occasion, published in Mr. Quincy's invaluable 
" History of Harvard College." Mr. Otis, after 
speaking of the prospects of the country with a 
fervent patriotism, closes by referring to the indis- 
pensable need of the education of the mass of the 
jDCople, and a due preparation of men in the 
universities and colleges, to enlighten and guide 
public opinion, and help in preserving the moral 
purity of the nation. " Let us," he says, '"' culti- 
vate and adhere to the principles taught here, and 
not trust to the promises of the conductors on the 
modern intellectual railroad, to grade and level the 
hills of science and take us along at rates that will 
turn our heads and break our bones. Let us es- 
chew the vagaries and notions of the new^ schools, 
and let each of us, reminded of a quotation which 
Burke did not think unworthy of him, be ready to 
say: 

' What though the flattering tapster Thomas 
Hangs his new Angel two doors from us, 
As fine as painter's daub can make it, 
Thinking some traveller may mistake it ? 
I hold it both a shame and sin 
To quit the good old Angel Inn.' " 

Mr. Otis then gave the following toast : '' Harvard 
College, — ' the good old Angel Inn,' where the intel- 
lectual fare is served up in the old family plate, 
from which our ancestors and ourselves have been 
regaled for the last two hundred vears." 



OTIS FAMILY. 39 

Among the patriotic deeds of this family should 
be named the generous public services of Mrs. 
Harrison Gray Otis, Jr., to whose influence we owe 
it that the birthday of Washington was made in 
Massachusetts a legal holiday. 

William Foster Otis, son of Harrison Grnv 
and Sally (Foster) Otis, was born in Boston, Decem- 
ber 1, 1801 ; entered the Latin School in 1813; and 
graduated at Harvard College, 1821. He read law 
with Harrison Gray Otis, Jr., a brother, and Au- 
gustus Peabody, and became a counsellor-at-law. 
He married Emily, daughter of Josiah Marshall, 
Esq., a selectman of Boston, May 18, 1831 ; she 
died August 17, 1836, aged 29. 

Mr. Otis was a member of the Ancient and Hon- 
orable Artillery Company in 1828 ; a major in the 
Boston Regiment, a judge-advocate, a representa- 
tive to the State Legislature, and President of the 
Young Men's Temperance Society. At a public 
Festival in Faneuil Hall he gave an oration before 
the Young Men's Association of Boston, after the 
delivery of which, at the dinner, the following sen- 
timent was given : " The Orator of the Day, rich 
in the hereditary possession of the virtues and 
talents of his ancestor, — far richer in possessing 
the hearts of the present generation." I do not 
think this compliment was undeserved ; for, after 
hearing the father repeatedly, I can testify that a 
large portion of his oratorical gifts descended upon 
his son. He had not the personal beauty and grace 
of that rare man; but he had a strong face, a dark 



40 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and piercing eye, and great energy and decision of 
manner. He was at one time in the State Legis- 
lature, and while he was there I heard from him 
an eloquent speech on a very important financial 
measure, to relieve the pecuniary distress of the 
hard times of that period. Various propositions 
were brought forward for that purpose. Mr. Otis 
spoke of the urgency of the situation, and employed 
in his argument, as I remember, a very striking 
illustration. " While we sit here," said he, " with 
our multiplying schemes to aid the community in 
their suffering, I am reminded of a case in which 
two surgeons, called to perform a critical operation, 
stood over the patient, after the amputation, dis- 
cussing the best method of tying up certain arter- 
ies, while, in the heat of their talk, the subject 
in their hands was fast bleeding to death." 

A passage from his oration to the young men is 
so pertinent to our own day that I cannot forbear to 
cite a part of it : " We are asked, upon what is our 
reliance in times of excitement, — what compensa- 
tion for human infirmities, what substitutes for 
bayonets, dragoons, and aristocracy ? I answer : The 
religion and morality of the people. Not the 
religion of the state ; not the morality of the fash- 
ionable. Our trust, our only trust, is where it 
ought to be, — the religion and morality of the 
whole people." 

Referring to the marriage of Mr. Otis, I cannot 
forbear speaking of his companion, that celebrated 
Boston beauty, "the observed of all observers," Miss 



OTIS FAMILY. 41 

Emily Marshall, wliom I could never meet in 
society, or elsewhere, without a fixed admiration. 
With a manner immediately fascinating, and a face 
blendino^ the charms of the red and wdiite roses, 
she had an eye full and lustrous, a mouth of rarest 
chiselling, opened only to disclose teeth of perfect 
evenness and color. Her smile had a sweetness 
which was in accord with the expression of every 
other feature ; her voice Avas the appropriate instru- 
ment of a rich soul ; her whole bearing was accom- 
panied by a simplicity never betraying the least 
consciousness of her beauty. This rare lady, the 
companion of Mr. Otis, was called away, alas, in the 
very prime of a life pervaded, as those nearest her 
testified, with all that is pure, gentle, kind, and 
Avinning. We were not surprised that the stricken 
survivor soon followed her to their upper and en- 
during home. 

In looking upon family faces and portraits we 
often trace striking resemblances in personal 
beauty or strength. Both the husband and wife 
just named illustrated this truth. If grace and 
loveliness of expression were transmitted on the side 
of the wife's mother, there were traits to be traced 
back to that of the father. The portrait of Colonel 
James Otis, born in 1702, gives us one of the rarest 
combinations of strength and beauty. To a manly 
and noble figure he united a face beaming with 
intelligence ; self-devotion was written in every 
lineament, broad-heartedness was joined with an 
energy of character, fitting him for the work he so 



42 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

well performed for his age. One can see, in the 
outspeaking countenance, why he was, as history 
records, " a very popular man," and can only wish 
to have had a place in that company who voted 
to '' carry their address in person," testifying the 
enthusiasm and veneration they felt for his gener- 
ous services to the country. 

And nothing else can we say of his son, "James, 
the Patriot." When we fix our gaze on that 
remarkable figure of him on canvas in Faneuil 
Hall, we are carried back to the days in which he 
lived. We are kindled by the bold, terse, and con- 
vincino; arofument and remonstrances with Great 
Britain, placed on record by his pen. We can see 
in him the embodiment which Cicero gives of 
" The Orator,'' in whom not the voice only, but 
the eye, the hand, the whole man, are instinct with 
power. Webster comes before us with his inspiring 
description of true eloquence ; the portrait stands 
out from the canvas, a living form, and we are 
ready to join in the loud and universal applause. 

James, oldest son of Colonel James Otis of Barn- 
stable, and in the fifth generation from John Otis 
of England, was born in West Barnstable, Febru- 
ary 5, 1725. He was prepared for college by 
Rev. Jonathan Russell of West Barnstable, and en- 
tered Harvard College, in June 1739. In his junior 
year he began to show great talent and power of 
application. He took his first degree in 1743, at 
the age of nineteen, and the degree of Master of 
Arts three vears afterward. He devoted his col- 



OTIS FAMILY. 43 

lege vacations to books, and was little known 
near his father's home. Although grave and ab- 
stracted in his turn of mind, he would at times 
manifest that keen wit which marked his subse- 
quent character. After leaving college he spent 
a year and a half in general reading and culture, 
and regretted afterward that he had not devoted 
more time to such literature before he entered 
upon his professional studies. He advised every 
law student to prepare himself for such study by 
a general acquaintance with other arts and sciences 
than those pertaining directly to the law. Mr. 
Otis began the study of law in 1745, with Jere- 
miah Gridley, one of the first lawyers and civilians 
of his time. He began the practice of his pro- 
fession in Plymouth in 1748, and, after two years 
residence in that town, removed to Boston. His 
business soon became extensive, and he earned a 
reputation for learning, wit, eloquence, and strict 
integrity. He kept up his classical knowledge, 
and thought little of those who could only quote 
the English poets. To a young friend he re- 
marked : " These lads are fond of talkino; about 
poetry and repeating passages of it; but do you 
take care that you don't give in to this folly. If 
you want to read poetry, read Shakespeare, Mil- 
ton, Dryden, and Pope, and throw all the rest 
into the fire." 

Mr. Otis partook of the filial respect common 
in his time, but in this latter part of the nineteenth 
century, threatening to become quite obsolete. 



44 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

"Honored Sir" may seem to us rather stiff and 
formal, and we do well to substitute our ordinary 
address, " My dear Father ; " but it is to be 
hoped that obedience to parents, so conspicuous 
in the youth of Mr. Otis, is not to vanish with 
our age. 

In 1755 James Otis married Ruth Cunningham, 
who died November 15, 1789, aged sixty years. 
Their children were : (1) James, born 1755, a very 
bright boy, a midshipman in the Revolution, who 
died, it is said, on board the Jersey Prison Ship in 
1777, at the early age of twenty-one years. (2) 
Elizabeth, who married a Captain Brown of the 
English army, previously wounded at the battle 
of Bunker Hill, with whom she resided abroad, 
making only a short visit to this country in 1792. 
She was living, a widow, m England, 1821. Her 
marriage offended her father, and he left her in 
his will but five shillings (3) Mary, who was 
born in 1764, and married Benjamin Lincoln, son 
of General Lincoln, who graduated at Harvard 
College in 1777. He was a lawyer of great 
promise, but died at the early age of twenty-eight. 
His widow, a lady of excellent talents and very 
agreeable character, who had married Rev. Henry 
Ware, Prof essor in Harvard Colles^e, died suddenlv 
at Cambridge in 1807. Benjamin Lincoln had 
two sons, Benjamin, a physician, and James Otis, 
a lawyer, both of whom died in early life, — Ben- 
jamin in August, 1813, and James Otis in August, 
1818, the latter leaving a widow and two children. 



OTIS FAMILY. 45 

In 1761 James Otis pleaded with great power 
against the Writs of Assistance which the custom- 
house officers had sought from the Judges of the 
Supreme Court. Of this speech John Adams said : 
" Otis was a flame of fire ; with a depth of re- 
search, and a rapid torrent of impetuous eloquence, 
he hurried away all hefore him. American Inde- 
pendence was then and there born." He was at 
this time chosen a member of the Massachusetts 
Legislature, where he had a commanding in- 
fluence by the power of his reasoning, his large 
intellectual resources, his Vt^it and eloquent man- 
ner. Of a fearless temper, he signed a remon- 
strance against the aggressions of the parent 
country. 

His letter to Mauduit, agent of the Massa- 
chusetts Assembly in London, dated June 13, 
1764, in repl}^ to a proposition of Great Britain 
for compromise, says, with his accustomed insight 
and sarcasm : " The kind offer of suspending the 
stamp duty amounts to no more than this, that 
if the Colonies will not tax themselves as they 
may be directed, the Parliament Avill tax them." 

He was a member of the '• Stamp Act Congress " 
held at New York in 1765, in which year his 
" Rights of the Colonies Vindicated " was repub- 
lished in London, for which he was threatened 
with an arrest. With a patriotic spirit he re- 
signed, in 1767, his office of Judge Advocate, 
which he had held six years. 

August 14, 1768, the principal men of Boston 



46 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

met at Liberty Hall to celebrate the repeal of tlie 
Stamp Act ; they had a band of music, and the 
much admired American Liberty Song was enthusi- 
astically sung. This song had just been received 
by James Otis from its author, John Dickinson. 
It was first printed July 4, 1768 ; and is the earli- 
est of the Revolutionai-y h'rics, advocating inde- 
pendence and union. It was sung to the tune 
" Hearts of Oak." A few stanzas of it are con- 
tained in Drake's Revolutionary History. 

In 1769 Mr. Otis, finding the Commissioners of 
Customs had sent to England charges of treason 
against him, denounced them most bitterly in the 
" Boston Gazette." He met one of these commis- 
sioners, the next evening in a public room, where 
he was assaulted bv a band of ruffians and covered 
with wounds, having a sword-cut in the head. 
Although this attack was not fatal, and in a lucid 
interval he foro:ave those who had assaulted him, 
and relinquished the five thousand pounds sterling 
which had been awarded him, his reason was 
shaken, his usefulness at an end, and he lived men- 
tally in ruins for several years. 

He saw that event towards which his efforts had 
primarily contributed, but could not fully enjoy it, 
the Independence of America. In a lucid inter- 
val he went from Andover to Boston and resumed 
the practice of law, but soon returned to the 
country. In 1770 he retired to reside perma- 
nently in the country, but was the next j'ear 
chosen Representative. Nearly all the remainder 



OTIS FAMILY. 47 

of his life he was insane. On the 23d of May, 
1783, as he was leaning on his cane at the door of 
a friend's home in Andover, he was struck by a 
thunderbolt and instantly killed. President Ad- 
ams, then Minister in France, wrote of him: " It 
was with very afflicting sentiments I learned the 
death of Mr. Otis, my worthy master. Extra- 
ordinary in death as in life, he has left a character 
that will never die while the memory of the 
American Revolution remains, whose foundation he 
laid with an energy and with those masterly abili- 
ties which no other man possessed." 

While in the prime of his vigor he published 
several volumes: in 17G0, ''Rudiments of Latin 
Prosody," and also a "Dissertation on Letters, and 
the Principles of PLirmony in Poetic and Prose 
Compositions;" in 1762, "A Vindication of the 
Conduct of the House of Massachusetts Ptepresent- 
atives;" in 1764, "The Rights of the British Col- 
onies Asserted;" and in 1765, "Considerations 
on behalf of the Colonists." He Avas of an irri- 
table temper, but easily concihated, although his 
course often appeared inconsistent, in consequence 
of this infirmity. 



CHAPTER III. 

ADAMS FAMILY. 

The field opened to our minds by the mention 
of this name is extensive. To the historian of 
America, it is large ; to the biographer, still wider. 
It is with diffidence that I enter upon it in any 
form. The plan of this work restrains me to what 
seems narrow and meagre, compared wdth the 
abundant and rich materials of the subject. My 
personal recollections of this illustrious family per- 
tain mainly to one member of it, John Quincy 
Adams. 

And yet I must refer briefly to two other rela- 
tives of his — one his distin(>:uished father. A 
classmate and warm friend of mine, George Whit- 
ney, a native of Quincy, and afterward minister 
of the Unitarian Church at Jamaica Plain, often 
spoke to me, wdiile in college, of the then aged 
and venerated Jonx Adams. Their conversations 
led him to relate many anecdotes concerning this 
patriarch. He once told my classmate that he had 
kept a journal through nearly his whole life. He 
began it when he was but ten years old. Look- 
ing over one day the first two volumes, they 




ADAMS OPPOSING THE STAMP ACT FROM THE OLD STATE HOUSE 



ADAMS FAMILY. 40 

seemed to him so small, their contents so childish, 
and the occurrences related in such a simple and 
poor way, that he " shut them up in disgust, and 
committed them to the flames." " But," said he, 
" I have again and again been sorry for it, and 
have often felt, as I do now, that I would give the 
best farm I ever owned if I could once more see and 
possess them." Who of us all has not, in some 
hasty moment, destroyed papers, perhaps the let- 
ters of dear friends, or some other memento of 
the past, for the restoration of which no price 
would seem too great ? 

Too much credit can hardly be given to John 
Adams for his spirit and energy in fostering the 
temper of the Revolution. The refugees, whether 
we call them Tories, or by the milder name of 
Loyalists, dreaded Mr. Adams's influence prob- 
ably more than that of any other one man in 
America. Chief Justice Oliver, himself rewarded 
for his flight to England, by royal favor and pro- 
motion, pronounced John Adams " one of the 
most dangerous men to British domination in 
America." 

The perpetual absorption of Mr. Adams in our 
cause justified this remark. On one occasion 
while he was minister at the Hague, after dinner, 
he was observed in an abstract frame of mind, 
when suddenly raising his head, his face bright- 
ening with thought, he exclaimed to one sitting 
at his side : " Yes, it must be so ; twelve sail of 
the line siq^ported hy a j^Toportion of frigates. 



50 REMIlSriSCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

When America, my friend, shall possess such a 
fleet she may bid defiance, upon her own coast, 
to any naval power of Europe." This anecdote 
illustrates what a place his country had in the 
depths of his heart in those dark and distressing 
days. We may smile at the small defence it 
promised to our naval protection ; but it is al- 
most enough to draw tears, when we think of the 
picture it exhibits of the poverty and straits and 
sacrifices of our people at that gloomy period. 

It was John Adams who said, early in the Revo- 
lutionary struggle, what brought our needs into 
a photograph : " There are four pillars essential 
to a republic. Church, School, Trainband, and 
Town." He should have added, in our case, a 
fifth, — Navy. The schools, — even in the day of 
John Adams, — had done a great work for our 
people. They were, in one respect, miserably 
poor ; but in another, in the intelligence and de- 
termination of their character, they had an inex- 
haustible wealth. 

The io-norance of the mass of the Ens-lish in 
regard to America and the character of its inhabi- 
tants, at the time of the Revolution, is almost in- 
credible. A traveller, riding in a London coach, 
overheard two ladies talkino; on this wise. " I 
have seen," said one of them, " a wonderful sight 
— a little girl born in a place called Boston, in 
North America ; and what is very astonishing, I 
pledge you my word it is true, she speaks Eng- 
lish as well as any child in England ; and, besides, 



ADAMS FAMILY. 61 

she is perfectly white." " Is it possible ? " ex- 
claimed the other, astonished at the statement. 
" Many of the people of England suppose us," says 
the narrator, " to be a nation of Indians, negroes, 
or mixed blood." This account of the Eng-lish 
ignorance of our people is matched by a fact re- 
lated by Professor Andrews Norton, wdiile I was 
in the Cambridge Divinity School, in 1826. Being 
in Exeter Hall at a public meeting that year, he 
saw on the platform a colored man, who w^as in- 
troduced to the audience as an American. "There," 
said a well-dressed lady to a companion at her side, 
" I have always told you the Americans were 
negroes." And so late as 1843 I met in a coach, 
among the English lakes, an intelligent man, an 
innkeeper, who, as he sat by my side, on learning 
from me that I came from the United States of 
America, replied : " The United States — that is 
in Canada, is 'nt it ? " But, I suspect, since the 
late Civil War, the English nation, even the com- 
mon people, have ascertained that we are not all 
either neu-roes or Indians. 

Who of us that lived at that time can ever for- 
get the sensations occasioned by the event that took 
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson from this world 
on the very same day, — and that day, too, the 
fiftieth anniversary of our National Jubilee ? On 
that occasion, July 4, 1826, my classmate Rev. 
George Whitney was appointed to give an oration 
in Quincy. Preparatory to that celebration Mr. 
Whitney was deputed to visit Mr. Adams and 



52 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ask hiin for a sentiment to be offered at the dinner. 
He did so. On the 30th of June he called at the 
house of the veteran, then very feeble, and on Mr. 
Adams being requested to furnish a sentiment, " I 
will give you," said he, " Independence Forever." 
He was asked " if he would add anything to it," 
his reply was, " Not a word." And it was well he 
did not. For, as his grandson, Hon. Charles 
Francis Adams, says, in his graphic account of 
this scene : " In that brief sentiment Mr. Adams 
infused the essence of his whole character, and of 
his life-long labors for his country." 

To have been the contemporary of Adams and 
Jefferson, and to have heard Daniel Webster's 
discourse, August 2, 1826, in Faneuil Hall, in 
commemoration of their lives and services, w^as a 
privilege for which I have never ceased to be 
grateful. 

John Quincy Adams, born July 12, 1767, in- 
herited many qualities from his father. Both had 
an intelligent countenance, expressing moral cour- 
age ; both were endowed with a strong physical 
constitution, had a firm and dignified walk, and 
took remarkable care of their health. They rose 
early, and had habits of indefatigable industry. 
John Quincy Adams rose in the summer at 4 
o'clock ; and, when President of the United States, 
he bathed in the Potomac Piiver, walked after it 
several miles, and continued the practice for years 
of translating a few verses in the Hebrew Bible 
before breakfast. Like his father, he was always 



ADAMS FAMILY. 53 

temperate. I noticed, in dining at his table, that 
he took two glasses of wine, and have been told 
that this was his daily practice, and never exceeded. 

During his presidency, my classmate Whitney 
was ordained ; and Mr. Adams was present and sat 
on the Council, as a delegate from the church in 
Quincy. His dress was plain but neat. He was 
of middling stature, of a full bodily habit ; his eyes 
were dark and penetrating, and, when he was not 
conversing, they were usually downcast and fixed. 
Being introduced to him, I inquired of him in re- 
gard to the Unitarian Society in Washington, at 
which I had heard he was a constant attendant. 
He spoke very kindly of Rev. Cazneau Palfrey, who 
was then its pastor. '' I go there to church," he 
continued, " although I am not decided in my mind 
as to all the controverted doctrines of religion." 

Mr. Adams expressed this same view when, 
several years afterward, I met him on the occasion 
of an exchange with the minister at Quincy, at 
which time he invited me to dine with him. The 
subject of my sermon was the Indestructibleness of 
Christianity. On our way to his house he said : " I 
agree entirely with the ground you took in your 
discourse. You did not speak of any particular 
class of doctrines that were everlasting, but of the 
great, fundamental principles in which all Christians 
agree ; and those I think are what will be perma- 
nent." I am inclined to believe that this was Mr. 
Adams's position to the close of his life. He was a 
truly liberal Christian, not in the sense of holding 



54 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

to liberty as an end, but as a means, its value de- 
pending wholly on the use made of it. This did 
not make him a sectarian ; to that he was earnestly 
opposed. Still less did it leave him in a state of 
intellectual or spiritual indifference. 

It is interestino* to know the church-o-oinoi: habits 
of the venerable Adams family, who owned, it 
seems, pew number one in the old church edifice 
"until it was taken down in 1828. Then the owner 
was President John Quincy Adams. The former 
owner, President John Adams, died July 4, 1826, 
in his ninety-first year. He was never absent from 
church, forenoon or afternoon, when in Quincy. 
His son, the President, was as punctual at church. 
He had by nature, inherited probably from both 
parents, a religious disposition. I have it on good 
authoiity, that of his personal statement to another, 
that he continued through life to repeat, before 
closing his eyes for the night, the comprehensive 
verse taught him in childhood by his mother, taken 
from the New England Primer: — 

Now I lay me down to sloop, 
I pray the Lord iny soul to keep ; 
If I should die before I wake, 
I pray the Lord my soul to take. 

I was interested by meeting at Mr. Adams's table 
a man whom I was told he often invited to his 
house, and who was celebrated in Boston business 
circles, P. P. F. Degrand. Mr. Degrand had during 
his life edited a conmiercial paper some ten years, 
had been a stock and exchange broker for twenty 



ADAMS FAMILY. ■ 55 

years, and died leaving some $100,000, to be given 
by his will chiefly to benevolent objects. He was 
more of a Protestant than his countrymen, the 
French, usually were at that time. Being asked 
one day what meeting he attended,—" Meeting ? 
Oh yes," he replied, " Mrs. Pierce goes to Brattle 
Street." She was the landlady who provided for 
his temporal wants, and he probably thought it was 
her duty to supply the spiritual wants of her 
boarders, so far as they felt the need of it. This 
was quite convenient, as she kept a boarding-house 
fronting the Brattle Street Church, on the spot 
where the Quincy House now stands. Mr. Degrand 
understood the French, English, Spanish, and Ital- 
ian languages, and united to a French precision in 
business a Yankee shrewdness which made him 
helpful to his thrifty friend Adams. 

The wisdom and thoroughness of Mr. Adams's 
education were tested by its influence throughout 
his whole hfe. The boy had in his character those 
elements and traits which marked the man in 
every station, duty, and service. He had, both by 
nature and domestic education, a remarkable cour- 
age in supporting everything right and true. He 
possessed, as has been said, " a lion heart which 
knew not the fear of man." When he had made 
up his mind what he ought to do, he did not stop 
to ask what others would think of him, but went 
straight forward and performed his duty. No 
man had a higher standard of conduct, and few 
ever acted up to their standard so nobly. He did 



56 . EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

not hold his good principles loosely, so that others 
could take them easilj^ from him ; but he grasped 
whatever he thouglit right with a firm hand, and 
trusted himself to it on all occasions. I do not say 
that he was a perfect man ; he was human, and his 
judgment might sometimes err ; but I do say that 
he did uniformly what at the time he thought was 
right. He was a man of strong feelings, and if 
in the warmth of the moment he either said or did 
what proved to be wrong, he was ready to change 
his position when convinced of his error. 

He was from his boyhood deeply interested in 
the subject of human freedom, and he did as much 
perhaps for that cause, in his way, as any man that 
has lived. His interest in the emancipation of the 
enslaved grew deeper and deeper the longer he 
lived. But a few months previous to his death, 
when smitten with that disease the repetition of 
which proved fatal to him, he expressed a regret 
that he had not done more for freedom and 
humanity. His devotedness to this subject in his 
closing years, the moral courage he displayed, 
and the dangers he encountered for it, are worthy 
of all praise and emulation. The old tree seemed 
to root itself more firmly, and to gather new 
strength, as blast after blast assailed its majestic 
form. 

The most striking trait in this rare character w\as 
an indomitable resolution. We are told that 
Fichte, the great German philosopher, when but 
seven years of age, once threw into the river a 



ADAMS FAMILY. 57 

fascinating book he was reading, because he found 
it took off his mind from his studies. We can im- 
agine young Adams doing similar deeds. He 
would allow nothing to stand between himself and 
his duty ; he learned very early a certain contempt 
for ease and enjoyment, and never gave way to 
their seductions. As the coral insect, by 'unre- 
mitted perseverance, raises at last an island in the 
ocean, so did he, step by step, accomplish every 
work to which he had once set his hand. He 
never tampered with a good purpose, moral or 
intellectual ; irresolution, he well knew, creeps on 
its victim with a fatal facility. If he saw that ser- 
pent in the bottom of the cup before him, no 
earthly consideration could induce him to taste its 
poison. 

What he would become afterward was manifest 
in his earliest years. There was never an instance 
in which it was truer that " the child is father of 
the man." That sun which shone so brilliantly at 
noonday, and which went down Avith a heavenly 
serenity and glory, had risen from a dawn full of 
beauty and promise. He did not, like most men, 
" need the sting of guilt to make him virtu- 
ous, nor the smart of folly to make him wise." In 
his verv childhood he saw that there is nothinsj: 
so valuable on earth as firmness of purpose and 
purity of heart. For these he then and there re- 
solved to live. Wealth and honors he did not 
despise, but he never, for one moment, made either 
of them the great object of his life. Before he was 



58 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ten years of age, he wrote a letter to his father 
askuig his advice in regard to his studies, express- 
ino- his desire to "keep his resolution to improve," 
and closing with these words : — 

I am, dear sir, with a present determination of grow- 
mg better, Yours, 

John Quincy Adams. 

Go back to the age of fifteen, when he went out 
as private secretary of Francis Dana, minister to 
the government of Russia, and follow him to the 
day when he expired at the Capitol in Washington, 
you find him everywhere and always the same 
person, intellectually and morally, marked by his 
individuality, clear-sighted, scholarly, firm, bold, 
— earnest in youth, in middle life a vigorous writer 
and convincing speaker, and to the very last " the 
old man eloquent." 

I have spoken of the mother of John Quincy 
Adams. The life of this woman was so remarkable 
from her early days, especially her first acquaint- 
ance with her future husband, that I give a chapter 
of it in this plnce. It may be somewhat colored 
by the writer ; still the main facts of it show that 
full often truth is stranger than fiction, and we 
are compelled at last, in real life, to rely upon that 
as veritable which would at first view seem only 
romance. I give this account the more readily, 
as the aged and revered Rev. Jacob Norton, suc- 
cessor of Mr. Smith, the father of our subject, was 
a relative by marriage, whom I visited while in 



ADAMS FAMILY. 59 

college, and whose wife was a person whom to 
know was both to respect and love. He con- 
firmed the account here given. The article is 
entitled " Courtship of the Elder Adams." 

Some ten years ago I spent a college vacation in the 
town of Weymouth, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. 
While there, I attended church one Sunday morning at 
what was called the Old Weymouth Meeting-house, and 
heard a sermon from the venerable pastor, Rev. Jacob 
Norton. About the same time, I made Mr. Norton a 
visit, and became much interested in the old gentleman. 
I mentioned my agreeable visits to an aged lady of the 
parish, whose acquaintance I had made. She informed 
me that Mr. Norton was ordained their pastor when he 
was about twenty-one years of age, and that he had been 
with them nearl}' forty years. She observed that most 
of his parishioners could remember no other pastor; but 
that she could well remember his predecessor, the Rev. 
Mr. Smith, and that he and Mr. Norton had filled the 
same pulpit for the better part of the last eighty years. 

" Mr. Smith," said she, " was an excellent man, and a 
very fine preacher, but he had high notions of himself 
and family ; in other words, he was something of an 
aristocrat." My informant said to me one day: "To 
illustrate to you a little the character of old Parson 
Smith, I will tell you an anecdote that relates to himself 
and some other persons of distinction. Mr. Smith had 
two charming daughters — the eldest of these daughters 
was Mary, the other's name I have forgotten — who 
were the admiration of all the beaux, and the envy of 
all the belles of the country around. But while the 
careful guardians of the parson's family were holding 
consultation on the subject, it was rumored that two 



60 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

young lawyers, both of tlie neighboring town of Quincy, 
a iNIr. Cranch and a Mr. Adams, were paying their ad- 
dresses to the Misses Smitb. As every woman and 
child of a country parish in New England is acquainted 
with whatever takes place in the parson's family, all the 
circumstances of the courtship soon transpired. Mr. 
Cianch was of a respectable family of some note, was 
considered a young man of promise, • and altogether 
worthy of the alliance he sought. He was very accepta- 
ble to Mr. Smith, and was greeted by him and his family 
with great respect and cordiality. He was received by 
the oldest daughter as a lover. He afterwards rose to 
the dignity of Judge of the Court of Common Pleas in 
Massachusetts, and was the father of the present Hon. 
Judge Cranch of the District of Columbia. 

"• The suitor of the other daughter was John Adams, 
who afterwards became President of the United States ; 
but at that time, in the opinion of Mr. Smith and family, 
he gave but slender promise of the distinction to which 
he afterwards arrived. His pretensions were scorned 
by all the family, excepting the young lady to whom his 
addresses were especially directed. Mr. Smith showed 
him none of the ordinary civilities of the house ; he was 
not asked to partake of the hospitalities of the table ; 
and it is reported that his horse was doomed to share 
with his master the neglect and mortification to which 
he was subjected, for he was frequently seen shivering 
in the cold, and gnawing the post at the pastor's door, 
of long winter evenings. In fine, it was reported that 
Mr. Smith had intimated to him that his visits were not 
acceptable, and he would do him a favor by discontinu- 
ing them. He told his daughter that John Adams was 
not worthy of her, — that his father was an honest trades- 
man and farmer, who had tried to initiate John in the 
arts of husbandry and shoe-making, but without success, 



ADAMS FAMILY. 61 

and that he had sent him to college as a last resort, 
lie, in fine, begged liis daughter not to think of mak- 
inc:^ ^n alliance with one so much beneatli her. 

" Miss Smith was among the most dutiful daucjhters, 
but she saw Mr. Adams through a medium very differ- 
ent from that through which her father viewed him. 
She Avould not, for the world, offend or disobey her 
father ; but still John saw something in her eye and 
manner which seemed to say ' persevere,' and on that 
hint he acted. 

*' Mr. Smith, like a good parson and an affectionate 
father, had told his daughters, if they married with his 
approbation, he would preach each of them a sermon on 
the Sabbath after the joyful occasion, and they should 
have the privilege of choosing the text. 

" The espousal of the eldest daughter, Mary, arrived, 
and she was united to Mr. Cranch in the holy bonds of 
matrimony, with tlie approval, the blessing, and benedic- 
tions of her parents and her friends. Mr. Smith then 
said : ' My dutiful child, I am now ready to prepare your 
sermon ; what text do you select for next Sunday ? ' 
' My dear father,' said Mary, ' I have selected the 
latter part of the 42d verse of the 10th cliapter of 
Luke : " Mary hath chosen that good part which shall 
never be taken from her." ' 

" ' Very good, my daughter,' said her father, and so 
the sermon was preached. 

" Mr. Adams persevered in his suit in defiance of all 
opposition. It was many years after and on a very 
different occasion, and in a resistance of very different 
opposition, that he was supposed to have uttered tliose 
memorable words, ' sink or swim, live or die, survive or 
perish, I give my heart and hand to this measure.' 
But, though the measures were different, the spirit was 
the same. Besides, he had already carried the main 



62 IlEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

point of attack, the heart of the young lady, and he 
knew the surrender of the citadel must soon follow. 
After the usual hesitation and delay that attend such 
unpleasant affairs, Mr. Smith, seeing that resistance was 
fruitless, yielded the contested point with as much grace 
as possible, as many a prudent father has done before 
and since that time, and Mr. Adams was united to the 
lovely Miss Smith. After the marriage was over, and all 
things settled in quiet, Mrs. Adams said to her father : 
' You preached Mary a sermon on the occasion of her 
marriage ; won't you preach me one likewise? ' 

'" Yes, my dear girl,' said Mj-. Smith; 'choose your 
text and vou shall have vour sermon ? ' ' Well,' said 
the daughter, ' I have chosen the 33d verse of the 7th 
chapter of Luke ' : " For John the Baptist came neither 
eating bread nor drinking wine, and ye say he hath a 
devil." ' " 

The old lady, my informant, looked me very archly 
in the face when she repeated this passage, and ob- 
served, " If Mary was the most dutiful daughter, I guess 
the other had the most wit." 

I could not ascertain whether the last sermon was 
ever preached. 

The integrity, conscientiousness and stern jus- 
tice of John Quincy Adams were conspicuous in 
every station, and in the multiplied and respon- 
sible offices he filled. At the age of fifty-eight 
— the same with that of the first five Presidents 
of the United States when they entered on that 
office — he was inaugurated as President. With 
no partisan temper, he selected for his Cabinet 
men of different political opinions. He was too 
impartial in all things to secure his own re-election 



ADAMS FAMILY. 6 



Q 



as the candidate of his party. While in Congress 
he espoused the cause of the freedom of the en- 
slaved, and, with more and more decision and 
moral courage, battled for the '-Right of Peti- 
tion," on the side of Emancipation, to the last day 
of his long career in the National House of Repre- 
sentatives. For the whole fifty- three years of his 
public service, faithfulness was his motto ; and 
when, in 1836,1 saw him in his seat in that House, 
where he was always, early and late, at his [X)st, I 
felt a reverence which no other mo ml hero 
of our whole country could awaken. The grand- 
est historic citizen of America, it was a study to 
look at that venerable man in the House of 
Representatives in Washington, and think over 
the events of his lons^ and distin2:uished life. 

It was difficult to realize that he was nine years 
old when the Declaration of Independence was 
adopted ; that he had gone abroad when a boy 
with his father, John Adams, and mio-lit have heard 
Chatham, Fox, Burke, and Sheridan in the Brit- 
ish Parliament ; that he had seen George the Third 
and most of the crowned heads and eminent states- 
men who had lived in the preceding fifty years ; 
that he had seen and conversed with Washintrton ; 
had been intimate with Jefferson and Madison ; 
bad been Secretary of State to James Monroe; 
and finally, that he had been President of the 
United States. 

On the day of his burial there might have been 
seen at the Capitol of this country, in which he 



C4 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

(lied, February 23, 1848, a long funeral train, con- 
sistino^ of many of the ^vi.se8t and ablest men in 
the land, following to the tomb the mortal re- 
mains of this great and good man. Eloquent 
voices had pronounced his eulogy on the floor of 
Conirress, and the hio;h and the honored accom- 
panied his relics, as in one vast procession they 
were borne from city to city until they reached 
the metropolis of New England. All felt that a 
mighty man had fallen, and reverently assembled 
to pay their last tribute of respect to the memory 
of the dead. And then ^vith solemn rites those 
relics were laid in their final resting-place in his 
native town, from which he had recently departed, 
never more to greet there those kindred and 
neighbors and friends, among whom he had passed, 
at intervals, more than fourscore years. 

Under the portico of the new church, dedicated 
November 12, 1828, rest in a granite tomb, the 
remains of President John Adams and Abigail, 
his wife. The remains of President John Quincy 
Adams and his wife are deposited in the same 
place. 

John Quincy Adams was a striking illastration 
of the continuous spirit of some of the best fam- 
ilies of the Revolution. Born in the same town, 
and almost on the very spot of his father's birth, 
he once said of the okl family house at Mount 
WolLaston : " It has a peculiar interest to me as 
the dwelling of my great-grandfather, Quincy, 
whose name I bear. He was dying when I w^as 



ADAMS FAMILY. C5 

baptized, and liis daughter, my grandmother, pres- 
ent at my birth, requested that I might receive his 
name. The fact, recorded by my father, has con- 
nected with that portion of my name a charm of 
mingled sensibiHty and devotion. It was the name 
of one passing from earth to immortahty. These 
have been among the strongest Hnks of my attach- 
ment to the name of Quincy, and have been to 
me through Hfe a perpetual admonition to do 
nothing unworthy of it." 

The lineage of this branch of the family is so 
exceptionally distinguished that I cannot forbear 
to give a few outlines of it. Their American pro- 
genitor was Henry Adams, who, in 1639, fled from 
oppression in England, and came to Mount Wol- 
laston, the present town of Quincy, with eight 
sons, one of whom returned to England, four re- 
moved to Med field and the neighboring towns, 
two to Chelmsford, and one became an original 
proprietor of the town of Braintree, incorporated 
in 1G39. His great-grandson, John Adams, Presi- 
dent of the United States, erected a monument 
to Henry Adams and his descendants, " from a 
veneration of the piety, humility, simplicity, pi'u- 
dence, patience, temperance, frugality, industry, 
and perseverance of his ancestors, in hope of re- 
commending an imitation of their virtues to their 
posterity." How well did the spirit of this family 
shine forth, not only in their domestic relations, 
but still more brightly in their noble work as 
American patriots, in founding and preserving the 
free institutions of their country. 

5 



66 REMINISCENCES AND MEilOrjALS. 

John Adams, second President of the United 
States, born in Braintree, now Quincy, October 
19, 1735, married, October 25, 1764, Abigail Smith, 
daughter of the minister of Weymouth, a lady 
whose intellectual abilities, social virtues, domes- 
tic worth, and entire sympathy with her husband 
did much to enhance the lustre of his family. 
One of their children, — John Quincy Adams, 
named for his mother's grandfather, John Quincy, — 
was born July 11, 17G7, and became the ornament 
and pride of the family. He married, July 27, 
1797, Louisa Catherine, daughter of Mr. Joshua 
Johnson of Maryland, consul in Franco and after- 
ward in England. They had several children, of 
whom Charles Francis, born in Boston, August 
18, 1807, alone survived his father. He was edu- 
cated at the Latin School, and graduated at Har- 
vard College in 1825. He studied law with 
Daniel Webster, and was admitted to the bar in 
1828. In 1829 he married Abby Brooks, daughter 
of Hon. Peter C. Brooks, of Boston. In 1831 he 
was chosen Representative to the Massachusetts 
Legislature, which oflice he held three years, and 
the next two he was in the Senate. In 1848 he 
was candidate for Vice President, with Martin Van 
Buren as candidate for President. He has been 
a contributor to the North American Pieview 
and Christian Examiner ; and edited the writings 
of his grandfather John Adams in ten volumes, 
the first entitled " Life of John Adams." He also 
edited the writings of his father, John Quincv 



ADAMS FAMILY. 67 

Adams. He was minister at the Court of St. James, 
and distinguished by his wisdom and discretion, re- 
spected alike by his own country and England, at 
the trying period of our Civil War. He was a mem- 
ber and President of the Board of Overseers of 
Harvard College, President of the American Acad- 
emy of Arts and Sciences, and is a member of the 
Massachusetts Historical Society and other literary 
associations. In 1864 he received from Harvard 
College the degree of LL. D., and that of D. C. L. 
in England. His taste and culture are shown in 
his library, one of the richest private collections in 
the country, numbering some 20,000 volumes. 

Having been with him three years in Harvard 
College, and since enjoyed his acquaintance, it has 
given me pleasure to witness his course, marked by 
the traits of his wise, patriotic, and renowned 
ancestry. 

It is a privilege to have spent even a single 
day under the roof of that venerable house in 
Quincy occupied by the generations of such distin- 
guished men. What an array of talent and official 
eminence has gone forth from that spot! Two 
Presidents of the United States of America ; three 
Ministers to the Court of that nation who claims to 
rule the seas, and on the sound of whose drum- 
beat the sun never sets ; and two Ministers to that 
Power who, with her millions upon millions of peo- 
ple, and almost limitless territory, is perhaps alone 
feared at the Court of St. James. 

Another member of this honored familv, fore- 



68 EEMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

most among the patriots of his country, whose 
faith in free institutions prompted him to be ever 
active in promoting its Uberties, himself " organiz- 
ing the Revolution," and who was, as has been 
truly said, " the personification of the American 
Revolution," was Samuel Adams. 

The mightiest events in human history can often 
be traced to apparently the humblest beginning. 
It is not, perhaps, too much to say that Samuel 
Adams, James Otis, Joseph Murray, Paul Revere, 
and a few other kindred spirits, meeting day after 
day at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, did 
then and there, amid all the clouds and darkness 
and distress of the prospect, plan the gigantic en- 
terprise of the American Revolution. It was 
Samuel Adams who moved at a town-meeting in 
Boston, October 28, 1771, that a Committee of 
Correspondence of twenty-one persons be chosen 
to assert, in the face of Great Britain, " the rights 
of the Colonists, and the infringements thereof." 

The testimony of his kinsman, John Adams, avIio 
knew him thoroughly, and labored with him in the 
interests of freedom, should be imprinted on the 
nation's memory. " Samuel Adams was the father 
of the Revolution, and a man of steadfast integrity, 
exquisite humanity, genteel erudition, engaging 
manners, real as well as professed piety, and a uni- 
versal good character." 

Language like what Webster ascribed to John 
Adams, his relative, Samuel Adams actually used : 
" We will submit to no tax. We will take up 



ADAMS FAMILY. G9 

arms, and shed our last drop of blood, before the 
King and the Parliament shall impose on us, or 
settle crown officers, independent of the colonial 
legislature, to dragoon us." His thirst for inde- 
l^endence was branded by his Tory associates as an 
original sin. " This imhappy contest," he once 
said, " will end in issues of blood, but America may 
wash her hands in innocence." 

I have before me a portrait, by Copley, of Sam- 
uel Adams at the age of forty-nine, which expresses 
all that is contained in the strong language of his 
relative. He is represented as of the ordinary 
height, of muscular form, erect in person, with light- 
blue eyes and light complexion. He wore a tie 
wig, cocked hat, and red cloak. He was a forcible 
speaker, his manner very serious ; and he had a 
tremulous motion of the head, which gave empha- 
sis to his speech and became associated with his 
eloquent voice. He voted in favor of adopting 
the Constitution, although in politics he opposed 
the administration. At the age of seventy-two. 
May 1794, he was elected Governor of Massachu- 
setts and remained in office three years. By his 
pen, his tongue, and, best of all, his example, he 
then, as before, did all in his power to establish the 
principles of the Revolution, and staked everything 
dearest to him upon its issues. 

Samuel and John Adams, illustrious fellow-labor- 
ers in the Revolution, had the same great-grand- 
father, an emio-rant from Eno-land and a son of 
Henry Adams. Samuel Adams was born in Bos- 



70 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ton, September 27, 1722, of a renowned family in 
that town, and he died there October 2, 1803, at 
the age of eighty-one. 

My personal interest in this family is enhanced 
from the several circumstances that he, with John 
Hancock, was proscribed from the offer of pardon 
to all rebels in this country, made in 1775 by 
General Gage ; and that, being with Hancock, on 
the Provincial Committees of Safety and Supplies, 
at Wetherby's Black Horse Tavern in Menotomy, 
the eighteenth of April 1775, they fled the evening 
before the Battle to my native town, Lexington, 
for safety ; and that it was on a hill familiar to my 
boyhood that he uttered to his companion John 
Hancock, while they were on their escape from the 
British troops, as they saw the sun rise on the 
memoraljle nineteenth of April, 1775, that im- 
mortal sentence : " What a glorious morning this 
is for America." 

By a singular good fortune there came into my 
hands certain memorials of the family of Mr. 
Adams, in the form of personal expenditures, 
worthy of a permanent record. I am permitted 
by a descendant of William Donnison, executor 
of the will of Samuel Adams, dated December 
29, 1790, to give the following receipts to the 
public. 

It has been truly said that Samuel Adams, with 
all his power and patriotism and eloquence, both 
by pen and voice, " was no man of business." 
This was indicated in his boyhood, when, being 



ADAMS FAMILY. 71 

placed with a merchant, he did not succeed. The 
story is circulated that he was once taken from the 
hands of a sheriff by his friend John Hancock. It is 
certain that at his death he left real estate of a 
moderate value, and personal property, according 
to the inventory, worth only $665.70. The fol- 
lowing is the receipt of earhest date befoie 
me : — 

The estate of the late Hon. S. Adams to Charles 
Jarvis, to visits and attendance on the family in eight 
years ....... $150 

Boston, Oct. 14, 1803. 



Received the above in full of all demand of John 
Avery, esq., attorney to the executrix Mrs. Elizabeth 

Adams. 

Charles Jarvis. 



This charge for eight years, — a mysterious delay, 
— of medical attendance on a whole family, is ex- 
tremely low, owing probably to one or both of two 
causes, — either the remarkable health of the fam- 
ily or great consideration and kindness on the part 
of the physician. When we remember that in those 
days medicine was usually furnished by the doctor 
and included in his bill, the charge appears marvel- 
lously small. 

The next receipt is as follows : — 



72 



EEMIXISCEXCES AND MEMOKIALS. 



Boston, October 6th, 1803 

The Estate of his Honner 
Samuel Adclams Late Governor Deceas* 

To Henry Lane 
For the Interment of his Boddy 
to Cash pay^ the Sextons . 
to horse hir and expences out of town 
to Opening the tomb Use of Pall to- 
gather with my attendance 



Dr. 



$12 
5 

13 



$30 



Received payment of J\Irs. Eliz*^ Ad- 
ams Execute to the above Estate 

Henry Lane. 

The charges in this account, if estimated in the 
metallic currency of that period, appear high, but 
if reckoned by the paper values of the day they 
were not unreasonable. 

The tax bill of the same year is interesting, as 
showing the valuation of Mr. Adams's property, 
with certain customs then prevalent. 



Ward No. 11. 



To Sam'^'- Adams Esqr. 



Your Commonwealth Tax. 

BolVs. Cts. 
PoU, 

Real Estate, 
Personal Es 
Income &c. 



Estate, 1 
e. j 



27 
2. 76 

3. 



6. 03 



Your Town and County Tax. 

jDoWs. Cts. 
Poll, 

Real Estate, 
Personal Estate, 1 
Income &c. i 



1. 48 
16. 56 

18. 



36. 
6. 



4 
3 



42. 7 



You will please to notice, that by payhig the above 
Tax in Thirty Da^'s from this date, there will be made a 



ADAMS FAMILY. 73 

Discount of Five per Cent, and within Sixty Days Three 
per Cent, and within One Hundred and Twenty Days 
Tivo per Cent, and, if not paid within Six Months, Pros- 
ecution will ensue. 

Errors excepted. Benjamin Sumner, Collector. 

Boston, Octr. 1803. 

Several questions here arise. On what scale 
was the Poll tax assessed ? And for what number 
of persons ? Who were the separate owners of the 
Eeal Estate? Mr. Adams's Personal Estate was 
valued after his death, as we have seen, at only 
$665.70, and his income is known to have been 
very small. Could the tax on the above sum have 
been, with that on his income, so httle as |3 in 
the one column, or so great as $18 in the other? 
And yet on the back of the bill we find this en- 
dorsement : — 

Amount, 142.07 

Discount, . . . . • 2.10 



$39.97 



Nov. 16, 1803. 

Rec4 for Benj'' Sumner Collet. 
$39. 97 Ja^ SumnePw 

This shows that the bill was paid in thirty 
days, and apparently without objection, as it 
bears the further indorsement " paid by Mrs. 

Adams." 

Mrs. Adams died in 1808, at the age of seventy- 
four. After this the following bill was rendered 
and paid : — 



74 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

The Estate of Mrs Eliza*^ Adams DeC^ 

to Samuel Danfortli Dr. 

1808 To a visit on Consultation Jany 18, . $5 

To Ditto in March .... 3 



18 



Boston, July 11, 1809. 

Received payment of the above act 

Samuel Danfoeth. 

These charges appear, in oiir day, exceedingly 
low. A few persons still living may recollect the 
name and reputation of Dr. Danforth. He was a 
very skilful physician, but quite brusque and eccen- 
tric in his manners and conversation. Being con- 
sulted once as to his opinion of the best way of 
preparing cucumbers for the table, he replied : 
" Pare them nicely, cut them into thin slices, put on 
a good quantity of pepper, and then — give them 
to the hogs." 

Among the legacies in the will of Mrs. Adams, 
dated December 15, 1807, are the following: " To 
Mr. William Donnison I give $200, and to his 
wife $10, to buy a ring." This testimonial of re- 
gard to Mr. Donnison was doubtless made from his 
refusing any compensation for his long and faithful 
services both to Mrs. Adams and her distinguished 
husband. The gift of a ring was a very frequent 
bequest in those days, and the price was almost 
uniformly fixed at ten dollars. 

Mr. Adams had the fortune to be strangely 
misunderstood abroad. As an illustration of the 



ADAMS FAMILY. 75 

errors and misstatements of tlie English, we read 
in one of our journals of that time : — 

An extraordinary compliment to Samuel Adams, at 
the expense of his kinsman John Adams, appears in 
the London Morning Post, of 1779. " The dismission 
of John Adams from the rebel embassy at the court of 
Versailles indicates a decline of the influence of the 
northern faction, and bodes no good to American inde- 
pendence. John Adams is the kinsman and creature of 
Samuel Adams, the Cromwell of New England, to 
whose intriguing arts the declaration of independence 
is in a great measure to be attributed." 

What a relief it must have given to those who 
credited this and similar lanii-uage to read in the 
same paper, shortly after, that the downfall of this 
tyrant — j)6^'^^^P* ^^'^ should say his political sui- 
cide — had actually been accomplished : — 

November 12, 1779. — This day, being Sunday, the 
famous Samuel Adams read his recantation of heresy, 
after wliich he was present at Mass, and we hear 
will soon receive priests' orders to qualify him fur a 
member of the American Sorbonne. 

Many anecdotes, illustrating the customs of his 
day, might be cited from the Journal of Samuel 
Adams. One day, on his journey to Congress, he 
dined, he tells us, in Orange County, New Jer- 
sey — this was in 1777 — at a Mr. Brewster's, 
grandson of one of the adventurers at Plymouth. 
" The manners of the family," he says, " were ex- 
actly like those of New England people ; a decent 
grace before and after meat ; fine pork and beef, 
and cabbage and turnips." 



76 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



Of the five delegates appointed in June, 1774, 
by the General Court, to attend the Continental 
Congress in Philadelphia, two were Samuel Adams 
and John Adams. The different economic habits 
of these two men are seen in the following slight 
incident. Mr. Samuel Adams, in rendering his ac- 
count of expenses in a bill directed to the Colonj^ 
of Massachusetts Bay, inserts this item, " For 
three months' shavin"; and dressino;, one hundred 
and seventy-five pounds," which was duly paid ; 
while Mr. John Adams, in a very long list of 
charges, makes no mention of any sum due him 
for " shaving and dressing." 




THE OLD SOUTH CHURCH. 



CHAPTER lY. 

QUINCY FAMILY. 

A PEESONAL acquaintance with Hox. Josiah 
Qui^rcY, son of the patriot, Josiah Quincy Jr., es- 
pecially during his presidency of Harvard College, 
leads me to devote a few pages to his prolonged 
and distinguished life, and that of members of his 
family. 

Mr. Quincy's name stands in a long line of men, 
prominent in American history. Edmund Quincy, 
of Wigsthorpe, Northampshire, England, married 
Ann Palmer, October 15, 1593. Their son Ed- 
mund was baptized May 30, 1602. He married, 
July 14, 1623, Judith Pares. 

Edmund and Judith Quincy came from England 
in the reign of Charles I., to escape persecution. 
They reached Boston, September 4, 1633 ; he was 
made Freeman in 1633. In 1634 he was chosen 
Assessor, and in May, the same year, was Represen- 
tative to the First Colonial General Court, and on a 
committee to purchase the peninsula Shawmut of 
Mr. " Blaxton." He had an allotment for a farm 
at Rumney Marsh, December 4, 1635, and was 
among the first to receive from Boston, in 1635, 



78 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

a grant of land, afterward called the " Quincy 
Home," at Mount Wollaston. Soon after lie died, 
at the early age of thirty-three years ; yet he had 
already been one of the first Representatives in the 
General Court of the Province. He led the way 
of a long line of descendants — magistrates, judges, 
and officers civil and military. It was with this 
line that, subsequently, the patriot Hancock became 
connected by marriage. 

Mr. Hancock was familiar in the Clark Mansion, 
at Lexington, partly doubtless from his engage- 
ment to a connection of that family. Their mar- 
riage is thus recorded in a New York journal, dated 
September 4, 1775: 

August 28th, was married at the seat of Thaddeus 
Burn, Esqr., at Fairfield, Connecticut, by the Rev. An- 
drew Elliot, the Hon. John Hancock, Esq., President of 
the Continental Congress, to Miss Dorothey Quincy, 
daughter of Edmund Quincy, Esq., of Boston. A brave 
Roman purchased a field in a certain territory near 
Rome, which Hannibal was besieging confident of his 
success. Equal to the conduct of that illustrious citizen 
was the marriage of the Hon. John Hancock, who, with 
his amiable lady, has paid as great a compliment to 
American valor, and discovered equal patriotism, by 
marrying now, while all the Colonies are as much con- 
vulsed as Rome when Hannibal was at her gates. 

Edmund, son of Edmund, born in England in 
1G27, came to Mount Wollaston, and settled there 
on his father's estate. In 1670-3-5, and in 1681, 
he was Representative to the General Court. He 
died March 15, 1697. He had two sons, Edmund 




JOHN HANCOCK. 



QUINCT FAMILY. 79 

and Josiah. His son Edmund was born in Brain- 
tree, October, 1G81, graduated at Harvard College 
in 1699, and was Judge of the Supreme Court of 
the province ; he died in London February 23, 
1738, aged fifty-six years. The inventory of his 
estate, goods and chattels, valued at £2073 12s. 
contained "housing, outbuildings, and Farm he 
lived on, valued at £1400 ; Moore Farm and hous- 
ing upon it, £200 ; one negro man and a woman 
and 3 boys, £100; Plate, £44 ; 1 Pair silk curtains, 
£2 10s; 70 sheep, £24; 8 cows, £24; 4 steers 
and 3 heifers, £19 10s. z=^ £67 10s. besides 8 year- 
ling calves and 3 horses, value, £15." 

It was in honor of Colonel Josiah Qiiincy, who 
occupied the Mount Wollaston farm, and in 1670, 
built a house upon it, that the town of Quincy re- 
ceived its name. He was distinguished as the 
Representative of that place in 1717, 1719, 1722, 
1729, and 1741, and was Speaker of the House in 
1729 and 1741. The people of this town, under 
the lead of the Quincys and many of their stamp, 
were hopeful and far-reaching in their anticipa- 
tions, and in their straits they aided the colonies 
in establishing free schools, and in founding the 
college at Cambridge ; and, impelled and directed 
by their broad and spiritual faith, they built 
churches and worshipped, one and all, in them. 

The second tomb built in the old cemetery of 
Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1699, was that of Ed- 
mund Quincy. Fairfield's Diary has this record 
in resrard to his burial there : — 



80 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

January 10, 1697-8. Helped dig Mr. Quincy's 
grave. Frost is one and near two feet thick. 

January 11, made an end of digging, bricked the 
grave, weather warm. [This must have been an old 
fashioned " January thaw."] 

September 16, 1699. I carted stone for Mr. Quin- 
cy's tomb. 

To us it seems almost incredible, with our care 
for the resting-places of the dead, that this ancient 
cemeter}^, like many others of that period, should 
have been left uninclosed and used as a pasture for 
cattle. Yet so it was for more than a century and 
a half, until a few reverent spirits in 1809, — 
among tliem was Josiah Quincy, — raised by sub- 
scription one hundred and fifty dollars, with which 
they purchased of certain others the right of her- 
bage and pasturage in the cemetery. This privi- 
lege was afterward presented, with a deed, to the 
inhabitants of Quincy, on condition that no '• horse 
or cattle of any description shall be allowed to run 
at large in the cemetery, a fence shall be maintained 
around it," and, with what to us seems a singular 
provison, " no trees shall be permitted to grow 
within the said ground." 

Edmund Quincy had a son Daniel, whose only 
son John Quincy, born 1689, was great-grandfather 
of John Quincy Adams, who derived his name 
from him. He was Speaker of the House of Rep- 
resentatives, and was a member of the Council 
forty successive years. 

In 1675 we find in the will of Leonard Hoar, 



QUINCY FAMILY. 81 

third President of Harvard Colleofe, the following 
item: "I give to my dear sisters, Flint and Quin- 
cey, each a black serge gown." This latter lady 
must have been the wife of Colonel Edmmid Quincy, 
who, with " other principal gentlemen and gentle- 
women of the Town of Boston," attended at 
'' Brantry," May 25, 1723, the funeral of the widow 
of President Hoar. 

Josiah Quincy, youngest son of Edmund, was 
born in Braintree in 1710, and graduated at 
Harvard College in 1728. He died in Braintree 
1784. Edmund, eldest son of Josiah, was born in 
Braintree in October, 1733, and graduated at 
Harvard College in 1752. He died at sea, March 
17G8, aged thirty-five. Josiah Quincy, Jr. was 
l)orn in Boston, February 23, 1744 ; he graduated 
at Harvard College in 1763 ; studied law% and was 
eminent in the practice of it. He took a firm and 
bold stand as a writer and actor in the cause of 
his country's freedom. Ill health compelled him 
to go abroad to England, where he labored for his 
native land. He was returninn; home to work heart 
and hand for her independence, but died near the 
coast, April 26, seven days after the Battle of 
Lexington. His last prayer was for his country, 
and his name is immortalized among those mIio 
laid the foundation of her liberty and the cause of 
freedom throughout the civilized world. 

Josiah Quincy was the only child of Josiah 
Quincy Jr., the Patriot, living at his father's death. 
His widow^ed mother believed it her duty to send 

6 



82 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

him at the age of six to Philhps Academy in An- 
dover. When he was censured or punished he 
found rest for his sorrow and tears in the home of 
his good friend Rev. Mr. French. He describes 
the old meeting-house in Andover : " A three-story 
building, with two tiers of galleries, and the 
tything-man with his long pole, with which he 
would rap on the wall ever and anon, to the terror 
of mischievous boys and sleeping elders." He spoke 
often of the kindness of Mr. French at this time. 

Rev. Jonathan French, of South Parish, An- 
dover, Avho was distino-uished for his self-sacrificing; 
patriotism, heard of the Battle of Bunker Hill, 
Sunday morning, and started for the battle-field 
with musket in hand, and his case of surgeon's in- 
struments and medicines, — the clergy were some- 
times half physicians in those days, — and no doubt, 
as became a minister, with his Bible also. He 
rendered valuable aid that dav, carincr for the 
wounded, and administerinui: comfort and consola- 
tion, physical and spiritual. 

When his meeting-house was remodelled in 1821, 
stoves were put in. It had previous to this a 
Noon House, where distant members ate their 
luncheon, and in winter warmed themselves and 
filled their footstoves, for afternoon service in the 
cold meeting-house, with live coals from the great 
wood fires, blazing at both ends of the house. 

My first direct knowledge of Mr. Quincy was on 
the visit of Lafayette to this country in 1824. Be- 
ing then Mayor of Boston, he accompanied the 







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QUINCY FAMILY. 83 

nation's illustrious guest when he visited Cam- 
bridge, and did the honors of his office there, as in 
his own city, with that dignity and patriotic 
affection which became the occasion. He was 
then fifty-one ye^irs of age, a fine figure, his face 
indicating a mind which combined a Roman gravity 
with an Attic wit, and in society he had a fascinat- 
ing smile. Harvard College honored him this 
year, 1824, by conferring upon him the degree of 
LL. D., an honor which he amply repaid by his 
long and distinguished services as president of that 
institution, commencing in 1829, and continuing 
until 1845. 

During this period I was brought into official 
and personal relations with Mr. Quincy. As presi- 
dent of the college he became one of the trustees 
of the Hopkins Classical School in Cambridge, of 
which body, as chairman of the school committee, 
I was also a member. He paid me also the un- 
sought, long-continued honor of a place on com- 
mittees for examining the students in college, an 
office quite different, as regards the frequent 
association of its incumbents, from that bearing the 
same name now. He called at my residence, then 
in Cambridgeport, to ask if I would accept the 
position. A carriage was sent on each day of 
examination to bring; the members of the connnit- 
tee to the college, and one was provided for such 
as desired it to take them home. We were invited 
to a dinner, at which always the professor whose 
department we had visited, and often other com- 



84 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

mittees, with the instructors in their several 
branches, were present. President Quincy invari- 
ably attended the examinations, and was wuth ns as 
the host at the dinner table. His manner on these 
occasions was cordial, courteous, and aftable. I 
recollect many striking and facetious remarks of 
his which space forbids me to relate. The country 
was then agitated deeply on the subject of slavery. 
On one occasion Dr. Rufus P. Stebbins had the dny 
previous preached in the College Chapel a sermon 
on the text: "Whosoever committeth sin is tiie 
servant of sin." " The emancipation spoken of 
yesterday morning," said the President " was one 
of whose need we all agree, whatever we may 
think of negro emancipation." 

Mr. Quincy 's residence was in the old Wads- 
worth Mansion, where the presidents of that period 
lived. There we were always welcomed, not oidy 
by the host, but by his gracious companion. It 
would be unjust to history to pass unobserved the 
memory of her who partook with Mr. Quincy in 
his spirit, and adorned her station at his side, 
whether in the social circles of Boston, or in the 
literary atmosphere of Cambridge. I cannot re- 
call her presence, her personal dignity and attrac- 
tiveness, without a sense of our obligations to her 
on her own merits, and as a representative of that 
sex to whose signal patriotism, back to the earliest 
American history, we are so much indebted. Be 
it a legend or be it truth — and I think the latter 
is the probability — it was fitting that a woman's 



QUINCY FAMILY. 85 

foot should be the first that pressed the rock of 
Plymouth, at the landing of the noble company 
who, in faith, fortitude, and affection, began here 
the glorious work of God and man in the great 
cause of civil and religious liberty. It was a pre- 
sage of the heroic spirit and self-denying and ad- 
venturous labors of that sex in all our subsequent 
history. Plow often, by her tender care of the 
suffering, and her sharing in all the perils and 
privations of the times, woman rendered a service 
to the country never yet fully appreciated. 

The devoted wife of John Adams was a right 
arm of strength to her illustrious husband, in every 
hour where sound judgment as well as untiring 
affection could minister to his necessities. Her 
invaluable " Letters " show both a wisdom and 
a patriotism not eclipsed by the brightest records 
of woman's influence in history, ancient or 
modern. 

We extol the Father of our Country in unmeas- 
ured terms, but no pen, I believe, has yet given a 
true and just picture of the influence on our 
national destinies of Mary the mother and Martha 
the wife of Washington ; of the latter of whom Mr. 
Quincy says, commenting on her matronly beauty, 
and her services to her husband and her countrv : 
" or her it might be as truly said as ever it could 
be of woman — she was of her own sex the glory, 
and of the other the admiration." 

Mrs. Quincy was a model in hospitality, and her 
genial smile and courteous manner made their 



86 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

weekly receptions most agreeable, not only to the 
officers of the college, but to the students at large. 
In this regard, as in others, Mr. Quincy's was a 
joyous administration. After long years of regret 
at the single life of his predecessor, good Dr. Kirk- 
land, we were delighted to meet our esteemed and 
cordial president, surrounded by a family circle so 
cultivated and honored. 

An extraordinary energy pervaded the whole 
character and life of Mr. Quincy; whatever his 
hand found to do he did with his might. This trait 
was seen in his emphatic mode of conversation. 
I often noticed a reaction of this intensity. He 
would express himself with great clearness and 
force, and, notwithstandini>: he was a thorouijrh 
gentleman and full of courtesy, he would in a few 
moments — even while one perhaps was responding 
to his words — from the power of his tempera- 
ment, be sometimes lost in oblivion, and, seeming 
unable to resist the tendency, even close his eyes 
as if overtaken by sleep. 

To this peculiar temperament, T think, w\as owing 
in part his occasional lapse of memory. He often 
forgot the names of those he knew perfectly well, 
even of college students, whom he wished specially 
to address aright. The story was told, probably 
without a sure foundation, that he went one day to 
the Cambridge post-office for his mail, and, upon 
his asking if there were any letters for him, the 
clerk, being that day a new-comer in the office, 
asked, " For what name, sir ? " " For what name," 



QUINCY FAMILY. 87 

Mr. Quincy replied, " you know me of course." In 
his absence of mind, as the story went, he for the 
moment actually forgot his own name. Turning 
away he was met by a friend who thus accosted 
him : " Good-morning, Mr. Quincy." "Ah, Quincy," 
said he, returning to the clerk, " are there any let- 
ters for Mr. Quincy?" I think those who had 
known and enjoyed the benefit of the remarkable 
memory for names of his predecessor, Dr. Kirkland, 
liked to repeat, and would sometimes exaggerate, 
anecdotes of this kind. 

The industry of this rare man was as remarkable 
as his intellect and eminent virtues. I remember 
in a conversation upon the dangers and evils of the 
prevalent excessive reading of newspapers, he once 
said : " For myself, I devote but ten minutes a day 
to the papers." Perhaps this wall appear to many 
a meagre allotment of time for such reading. But 
it reveals that marvellous economy of time which 
enabled him, not only to read so many solid books, 
but to write volume upon volume himself, in addi- 
tion to his practical labors, as a lawyer from 1793, 
as a business man, the discharge of his manifold 
offices as representative in the State and National 
legislatures, on the bench as mayor for six years 
of a rapidly growing city, for sixteen years as presi- 
dent of Harvard College, beside working else- 
where in the cause of education, and in many 
other distinguished and useful occupations. 

I well remember the joy we felt when it was 
known that Mr. Quincy had been elected to preside 



88 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

over our beloved university. He was a man 
eminently marked for the position. The financial 
affairs of the institution needed, many thought, a 
practical man at its head, some said a layman. 
Here was one whose ability, as well as experience, 
fitted him for the exigency. Certain reforms in the 
administration of the college were called for. He 
had the energy, united with the good judgment, 
required for the place. His interest in education, 
and the work he had done for it in the case of the 
public schools, no less than his own culture and 
literary attainments, pointed to him as the best 
candidate for this office. He had exhibited both 
social and moral traits which fitted him for this 
place. In his relations to other public men he had 
shown an elevated spirit. A marked trait of Mr. 
Quincy had been his magnanimity. For example : 
toward Harrison Gray Otis, in their lives both 
friends and rivals, he had always maintained a 
noble attitude. After his success over Mr. Otis in 
their opposition as candidates for the mayoralty, 
he said at a public political meeting, in the presence 
of Mr. Otis, that his own election over his opponent 
was after all a compliment to Mr. Otis : " It de- 
monstrated the conviction, on the part of our 
fellow-citizens, that to degrade Mr. Otis by such a 
comparatively subordinate office w^ould be like 
making a common drag-chain of a diamond neck- 
lace." 

When he came to the college and gave his in- 
augural address, we saw that wisdom was to be 



QUINCY FAMILY. 89 

justified by her own children, by this faithful son 
of Harvard. The tiansition from the mayoralty 
of Boston to the academic seclusion of the college 
grounds was well portrayed, in his fine Latin in- 
augural Address, as a passage, " ex j)i-dvere ac 
strepitu urbis " from the tumult of' the one 
place to the quiet of the other, to his noiseless and 
comparatively retired home. I was struck in his 
address that day with the same Roman vigor and 
classical and lucid terseness which had marked all 
his public literary and civic productions. Among 
these was his memorable oration of the Fourth of 
July, 1826, delivered before the city authorities of 
Boston. He was then in his prime, about fifty- 
four years old, at which time Stuart painted a 
portrait of him, which combines the fire of the pat- 
riot with the mental strength and moral beauty of 
the man. In this address he spoke in an eloquent 
strain of " John Adams, that eminent citizen of 
Boston, that patriarch of American independence, 
of all New England's worthies on this day the sole 
survivor." By a coincidence, rare in all human 
history, while Mr. Quincy was uttering his noble 
testimonial to the aged patriot, that man was fast 
sinking in the arms of death. The venerable ex- 
President was still alive, but before the festivities of 
the day were over, his spirit had passed away. 

Those same qualities characterized his subse- 
quent able and patriotic oration at the second 
centennial celebration in Boston, September 17, 
1830. His experience and success as Mayor of 



90 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Boston naturally turned all eyes toward Mr. 
Qiiincy as the fit orator on that occasion. The 
commemoration took place appropriately in the 
Old South Church. A poem was read by Charles 
Sprague, and an ode contributed by John Pier- 
pont, then minister of Hollis Street Church. The 
Mayor, Harrison Gray Otis, and the Aldermen and 
Common Council met for the first time in their 
several rooms in the Old State House, after- 
ward the City Hall. They subsequently convened 
in the Common Council Chamber, where the Mavor 
delivered an address of some length. The City 
Government then moved to the State House, 
where a procession was formed, under the direction 
of General William Sullivan, Chief Marshal of the 
day. It included the Historical Society and other 
historical and literary associations. The proces- 
sion, under the escort of the Ancient and Hon- 
orable Artillery Company, moved down Beacon 
Street, entered the Common, and passed through 
two lines containing; several thousand children 
of the public schools, and, marching through the 
chief streets of the city, arrived at the Old South 
Church. I thought Mr. Quincy appeared that day 
at his best. Although his oration occupied two 
hours, its great interest commanded the close atten- 
tion of the crowded audience who heard it. While 
listening to the oration of his great-grandson, 
Josiali Quincy, on commencement day, at his grad- 
uation from Harvard College in 1880, I was re- 
minded of the noble figure, the resonant voice, the 






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QUIXCY FAMILY. 91 

eloquent and high-toned principles of his distin- 
guished grandparent, and of the noble patriotism 
of the long line of Quincys. 

In Mr. Quiricy's brief speech at the dinner table 
after the re-interment, April 19, 1835, of the men 
killed in the Battle of Lexington, whose remains 
at this time, after an eloquent address by Edward 
Everett, were placed in a sarcophagus under the 
monument in that town, I was impressed with his 
earnest, though modest and dignified manner, and 
his spirit so in harmony with that of the proto- 
martyrs whom we that day commemorated. By 
request I had prepared the sentiment intended to 
draw from him what followed. It w^as in these 
words : — 

Josiah Quincy, Junior, who died April 26, 1775, 
among the first-born of the champions of American Lib- 
erty : like the martyrs whose memory we this day 
venerate, he saw but the dawn of that light he prized 
higher than Hfe. "His sons come to honor, but he know- 
eth it not." Peace to his ashes ! 

Mr. Quincy, then President of Harvard College, 
being called upon for a sentiment, remarked that, 
after what had been said by distinguished gen- 
tlemen, in the church and at the table, it would not 
be expected of him that he should make a display 
or a speech. It was a time for feeling, — a time 
for thought, — not a moment to applaud ; he 
should, therefore, simply reciprocate the sentiment 



92 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of the chair: "The town of Lexington — where 
brave men are raised, and brave men honored." 

The patriotism of Mr. Quincy shone out on 
every occasion suited to call it forth. He was 
filled with the spirit of the Revolution. It wall be 
remembered that when the signers of the Declara- 
tion of Independence met for that momentous 
service, John Hancock said, as he affixed to it, the 
first in order, his own name : " We must be nnani- 
mous; we must hang together," ''Yes," said 
Franklin, " or hang separately." I heard President 
Quincy, at a public dinner, give this sentiment, 
which was received with unbounded enthusiasm : 
" The times of the Revolution, when the only 
question was — shall we hang together, or hang 
separately." 

His characteristic energy and wisdom were man- 
ifested during his whole administration of the 
college. He held personal intercourse with the 
students. He reformed the state of the Com- 
mons, made the fare of the students better, and 
thus broke up that old source of rebellions among 
the chisses. The studies became more systematic, 
and electives began to take the place of compulsory 
work. The College was expanded to a University ; 
the Law School was reorganized ; Gore Hall was 
built, and the Library enlarged and made more 
secure from fire ; an Observatory w\as established, 
and the quickened movements in other directions 
justified the subsequent remark of President 
Walker that " Mr. Quincy was the Great Organizer 
of the University." 



QUINCY FAMILY. 9 



o 



Mr. Quincy, in speaking of the class of 1790, of 
Harvard College, of which he was a member, and 
its first scholar, says : " The most talented, taking 
light literature as the standard, was Joseph Dennie. 
His imagination was vivid, and he wrote Avith 
great ease and felicity." It was, I think, at this 
time that, although Mr. Dennie resided in Boston, 
he frequently visited Lexington, and he and my 
father, of about the same age, became acquainted 
with each other. I often heard him speak of 
Joseph Dennie as a delightful companion, full of 
mirth and repartee ; his society was most agreea- 
ble to one of the same facetious disposition. He 
was a perfect gentleman, and attracted great inter- 
est among the ladies of that quiet town. I believe 
he married one of these his youthful associates. 

Knowing well Mr. Quincy's public course in 
subsequent years, I can readily conceive his friend- 
ship in youth for those noble men of Boston, 
Samuel Dexter, George Cabot, Fisher Ames, Harri- 
son Gray Otis, the Lowells, (father and son), 
Theophilus Parsons, John Adams and his eminent 
son, John Quincy Adams, and others of their circle. 
One who knew him later, and witnessed his Chris- 
tian principle and rare magnanimity, cannot 
question that, in the heat of party strife, when 
the last named of this bright train left the Federal 
ranks, in which he and Mr. Quincy had always 
been the closest friends, Mr. Quincy wrote of his 
companion to his own wife : "lam glad you enter 
into no asperities such as you hear upon the char- 



94 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

acter of John Quincy Adams. He has just as good 
a right to his sentiments as I have to mine. He 
differs from his poUtical friends, and is abused. 
Let us not join in the contumely. It can do us 
no good, and may do him some hurt." He could 
not always agree with Mr. Adams in his public 
course, but when he had been stricken down at the 
Capitol, and was no more, how touching and noble 
were these words taken from his daily journal : — 

February 25, 1 848. — I have to record the loss of the 
friend of my youth, of my manhood, and of my old age, 
John Quincy Adams — on the S{)Ot where his eloquence 
had often triumphed, and where his varied powers were 
SO often shown, and are now acknowledged. Friend of 
my life, farewell ! I owe you for many marks of favor 
and kindness. Many instances of your affection and in- 
terest for me are recorded in my memory, which death 
alone can obliterate. 

The interest of Mr. Quincy in the Antislavery 
cause, partly for its dangers to our national liber- 
ties, began in his early life. While in the Mas- 
sachusetts Senate, 1804-5, he took part in a 
movement for eliminatinoi: from the National Con- 
stitution the article which permitted the Slave 
States to count three fifths of their slaves as a part 
of their basis of representation. He more than 
once said to friends in conversation, in presence 
of one of his sons : " You and I may not live to 
see the day, but before that boy is off the stage, 
he will see this country torn in pieces by the fierce 
passions which are now sleeping." So true were 



QUINCY FAMILY. 95 

the prophetic instincts of this great man in regard 
to the day and the scenes of our recent Civil War. 

The services of this devoted man cannot easily 
be exaggerated. The nation owes him a large 
debt. While he was in Congress the country was 
distressed by measures of the Democratic adminis- 
tration creating commercial restrictions, by the 
embargo, and by our being plunged into war with 
Great Britain. Mr. Quincy, a warm Federalist, 
took his stand firmly as a bold and eloquent 
opponent of all these measures. He represented 
with decision the feelings and the judgment of his 
constituents. He drew up the strong address of 
the minority of Congress ; and his speeches were 
delivered with that dignity, power, and point 
which we, who in subsequent years heard his 
voice at home, feel sure must have made a deep 
and — on all who were not arrayed against him 
by party hostility — a convincing impression. 
They are among the best political records of those 
eventful times. His broad and wise views, his 
mastery of all financial questions, his demand for a 
more perfect protection of our maritime rights, 
his just appreciation of our foreign relations, and 
the high-toned patriotism which pervaded his 
whole course, will excite the admiration of future 
generations. Among the very able men of those 
days he stood shoulder to shoulder, in counsel 
and in conduct, a peer of whom Rome or Sparta 
might have been proud. 

During his Mayoralty in Boston, he was earnest 



96 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

in every good work for the improvement of the 
city. He reorganized tlie Fire Department, estab- 
hshed the House of Reformation for juvenile 
offenders, and the Gii'ls' High School, under charge 
of Mr. Ebenezer Bailey ; but the noblest of his 
benefactions was the erection of the great Quincy 
Market-house, at the cost, eventually, of three 
hundred thousand dollars. 

He was indefatia^able in the use of his stronsjand 
cultivated intellect in the production of several 
valuable works by his pen : the Life of his father, 
Josiah Quincy, Jr.; the History of the Boston Athe- 
naeum, 1851 ; the Life of Colonel Samuel Shaw ; the 
Municipal History of Boston, in 1852 ; the Life of 
John Quincy x\dams ; and the elaborate and com- 
plete History of Harvard University, in two large 
volumes. It is not saying too much to affirm that 
no man, in the cluster of distinguished benefactors 
in our history, has combined in himself more rare 
excellences as a patriot, a statesman, a vigorous 
and classical writer, or broader views on the great 
subjects of education, philanthropy, social econ- 
omy, and the wide financial and public good of the 
community, with a practical illustration of sound 
l^rinciples in their best action, than Josiah Quincy. 

His personal character, not onlv intellectual, but 
moral and thoroughly Christian, will stand the 
test of history. Future generations Avill respond 
to the testimonial given by his cotemporaries, on 
the recommendation of Mayor Cobb, October 11, 
1879, and from the fund left the city by Hon. 



QUINCY FAMILY. 97 

Jonathan Phillips — in the erection of that impos- 
ing statue in Boston, which will speak of his 
virtues to the eye that looks upon it, in the midst 
of the thronged city for whose welfare he labored 
so faithfully and with such success. And so of 
that other beautiful figure in Memorial Hall, Cam- 
bridge, which shows him in his office as the head 
of our University, an example and an inspiration 
to those who in coming years shall resort to its 
walls for literary instruction, and who will be sure 
to honor the place of their education if they carry 
from it the integrity, the earnestness, the patriotic 
and Christian virtues, which marked his character 
and will perpetuate his influence. 

It is a remarkable circumstance that there have 
been six in this family named Josiah, several of 
them to be noticed for their ability and public ser- 
vices, and three at least very prominent. The 
oldest was born April 1, 1710. His son, Josiah 
Quincy, Jr., was born in February, 1744. His in- 
tense, almost agonized, spirit is embodied in the 
address of a Committee to the Provincial Congress, 
dated July 26, 1774, and written by their Chair- 
man, Josiah Quincy, Jr., — the tone of which 
seems to resound along the illustrious line of that 
family : " You, gentlemen, our friends, country- 
men, and benefactors, may possibly look toward us 
at this great crisis. We trust that we shall not be 
left of Heaven to do anything derogatory to our 
common liberties, unworthy the fame of our ances- 
tors, or inconsistent with our former professions 

7 



98 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and conduct. To you we look for that wisdom, 
advice, and example, which, giving strength to our 
understanding and vigor to our actions, shall, with 
the blessing of God, save us from destruction." 

In an edition of President Quincj's most valu- 
able and interesting memoir of his father, which 
was prepared by his patriotic and gifted daughter. 
Miss Eliza S. Quincy, we have a note which exhibits 
an instance of the noble spirit of her father : — 

Two thousand pounds sterling were bequeathed by 
the will of Mr. Quincy to Harvard College, in case his 
son should die a minor. His son lived and became pres- 
ident of the University in 1829, held that office sixteen 
years, and survived to the age of ninety-two years. Un- 
willing that the college should lose the bequest of his 
father, he gave, in 1848, ten thousand dollars, as an equiv- 
alent for the loss the institution had sustained by the 
continuance of his own life. He gave this donation to 
the publishing fund of the Observatory founded by his 
exei'tions during his presidency, and directed that the 
following sentence should be inscribed on the titlepage 
of every volume the expense of which was defrayed from 
this source : " Printed from funds resulting: from the 
will of Josiah Quincy, who died April 26, 1775, leaving 
a name inseparably connected with the history of the 
American Revolution." 

After a prolonged life of most active service to 
his country, to the interests of education, and, by 
his pen, to the cause of good letters, Mr. Quincy 
still showed his interest in the welfare of the col- 
lege over which he had so long and so faithfully 
presided. The very last year of his life he at- 



QUINCY FAMILY. 99 

tended its Commencement, and it was a touchino" 
spectacle to see that venerated man, disabled both 
by age and an unfortunate accident, supported by 
his eldest son, a model of filial respect and affec- 
tion, as he entered the audience room. The vast 
company rose as one man, with a salutation that 
found expression in the heartiest applause ; and 
we were thrilled, at the dinner table on that day, to 
hear the voice of the aged patriot still loyal to the 
memories of his best days. 

'• I want," said the sage, hero, and patriot within 
a few months of his death, " to live to see this War 
of the Eebellion through." But, although he was 
called to his reward before seeing that issue, dy- 
ing July 1, 18G4, it must have cheered his closing 
days to reflect that he had lived to see a grandson 
in that war, General Samuel M. Quincy, who 
served in it with distinction, and survived among 
those who received the honor and gratitude of the 
country they did so much to save. 

I should do injustice to this family not to name, 
among its departed worthies, Edmund, son of 
President Quincy, born February 1, 1808, and 
graduated at Harvard College in 1827. An early 
advocate of the Antislavery cause, he never hesi- 
tated to speak and to act whenever he could 
advance its interests. Who that ever saw him can 
forget his noble figure, his benevolent face, the 
urbanity of his manner, and his pleasing address ? 
I never conversed with him, I never saw him, 
without being reminded of his honored father. 



100 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

His self-possession and dignity, his logical acumen, 
his union of sound sense with keen wit, were seen 
in public speech. In consecration to the great 
interests of liberty, in his manly defence of the 
humblest who needed its shield, in his literary cul- 
ture, and his pohtical and miscellaneous writings, 
especially in that model biography he has left us 
of his distinguished father, we have abundant ma- 
terials for a respectful, pleasant, and never fading 
remembrance of him. We may well say of this, 
his closing production, breathing as it does the 
spirit of this grand old family, — whether we re- 
gard the writer or his subject, — the tribute of a 
worthy son to a worthy sire. We find his name 
in the old Massachusetts Antislavery Society, 
where he labored with zeal in its most trying 
period. The officers of that society were, for 
many years, Francis Jackson, president, Edmund 
Quincy, corresponding secretary, and Robert F. 
Walcott, secretary, and still living. 



CHAPTER V. 

LINCOLN FAMILY. 

A PERSONAL acquaintance with many members 
of the large Lincoln family : with Luther B. Lin- 
coln, as a schoolmate in the academy of Westford 
where I was prepared for college, a young man 
of most amiable and attractive qualities of char- 
acter, who won " troops of friends " wherever he 
was known, who stood high as a scholar, was a pat- 
tern of application and earnestness in every liter- 
ary pursuit, and successful afterward as a school- 
teacher ; with Rev. Calvin Lincoln, a cotemporary 
in the Christian ministry, whom I knew well as 
the secretary for some years of the American 
Unitarian Association, not less loved as a man than 
honored for his consecration to his work, his 
excellent judgment and practical ability in all 
business affairs ; with my good friend, Hosea H. 
Lincoln, the friend of a whole generation passed 
by him at the head of one of our Boston schools ; 
and with others whom my limits forbid me to 
name, — and, not least, the circumstance that 
of the stock of Thomas Lincoln " the husband- 
man " came my maternal grandmother, Rachel 



102 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Lincoln, who exhibited in herself the rare qualities 
of this good old lineage, in patriotic sympathy 
with her husband, a Revolutionary officer, her life 
spared to the advanced age of eighty-six, wise, 
dignified, beloved by the large circle of her kin- 
dred, and sought as a kind neighbor, an intelli- 
gent adviser, her hand as ready to help as her 
heart was to prompt it in daily offices of love 
and good-will, — all these associations make the 
writer deeply interested in this ancient family. 

The origin of the Lincoln family can be traced 
back to the Countess of Lincoln, England, as early 
as 1619. Dr. Young in his " Chronicles of the Pil- 
grims," says : " The Lincolns had a more intimate 
connection with the New England settlements, and 
must have felt a deeper interest in their success, 
than any other noble house in England." This 
opinion is confirmed by Cotton Mather in his 
"Magnalia;" he speaks of the family as "relig- 
ious," and "the best family of any nobleman then 
in Enorland." 

Governor Dudley wrote to the Countess of Lin- 
coln, from Newtowne (Cambridge), under date of 
March 28, 1631, in relation to recent losses by fire, 
and says, in " our new town, intended this summer 
to be build ed, we have ordered that no man there 
shall build his chimney with wood, nor cover his 
house with thatch." It is fortunate, with our taste 
for genealogy, that we can go back to so early a 
date. We in the East do not sympathize in this re- 
spect with the habit of some other portions of 



LINCOLN FAMILY. 103 

the country. Abraham Lincoln, when in Boston, 
was questioned by some of the Lincohi family 
about his ancestry. " Well," he replied, " I don't 
know much about that ; few people out West 
care to go any further back than their grand- 
flithers." 

Most of the early settlers of this country, named 
Lincoln, came from Norfolk County in England, 
and they were all more or less related to each 
other. They were then designated by their sev- 
eral occupations. Thus we have Thomas the Hus- 
bandman, Thomas the Weaver, Thomas the Miller, 
and Thomas the Cooper Of these Lincolns, 
Thomas the Weaver came from Hingham, Norfolk 
County, England, and his brother Samuel from 
Norwich, the chief town of the same County. 
Samuel came first to Salem, Massachusetts, and 
went thence to Hingham. Samuel had a son 
named Mordecai, born at Hingham in 1651 ; he 
settled in Scituate in 1700. Mordecai had a son 
named Jacob ; Jacob had a son named Solomon. 

Thomas the Husbandman came from Windham, 
Norfolk County in England, and settled in Hing- 
ham, Massachusetts. This town was named for 
Hingham, a market-town and parish in Norfolk 
County, England. Windham, five and a half miles 
west-northwest of Hingham, is now Wymondam, 
so called from a prominent family in the original 
place, named Wymond, the syllable hayn signify- 
ing " home," the " home of the Wymonds." Hing- 
ham, Massachusetts, was formally settled September 
18, 1G35, by Rev. Peter Hobart and twenty-nine 



104 REMimSCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

others who drew hoiiselots on that day. Within 
three subsequent years large numbers were added 
to these, embracing, with the first comers, nearly 
all the old families which have been conspicuous 
in that town. 

In 1638 Thomas the Husbandman, — made Free- 
man in 1637, — and Stephen his brother, — who 
also came from Windham, and went first to Salem, 
thence to Hingham, — received grants of houselots. 
Thomas the Husbandman has numerous descend- 
ants in Hingham, in the County of Worcester, and 
in other parts of Massachusetts. There are distin- 
guished men of this family, who have rendered 
valuable services to their communities in civil and 
military offices. 

Thomas the Husbandman, born probably in 1616, 
had four sons, Joshua, Thomas, Caleb and Luke. 

Joshua, son of Thomas, was baptized May 3, 1645. 

Thomas, son of Thomas, was born December 22, 
1652. 

Caleb, son of Thomas, born May 8, probably in 
1654, married Rachel, daughter of James Bates. 
Their children were Joshua, Peter, Caleb, Jacob, 
Solomon, Thomas, and Ebenezer. 

Luke, son of Thomas, born March 27, probably 
in 1698, in Scituate, removed to Leicester, where 
he held public office, being selectman in 1747 ; he 
married Lydia Loring, daughter of David Loring 
of Barnstable. 

The children of Luke and Lydia (Loring) Lin- 
coln w^ere five in number. 

(1) William was born May 23, 1738. 



LINCOLN FAMILY. 105 

(2) Kachel, born August 7, 1741, married, January 
21, 1768, Colonel Timothy Boutelle of Leominster. 

(3) Loring, born May 6, 1744, married Dorothy 
Moore. They lived in Greenboro, Vermont. He 
was a captain in the battle of Bunker Hill, and 
was eight months in the Continental army. 

(4) Lydia was born January 18, 1746. 

(5) Mary, born October 10, 1754, married, in 
1778, Asa Meriam of Oxford, Massachusetts. They 
had only one child. The town of Oxford is re- 
markable as the place in which, in 1636, thirty fami- 
lies of the Protestant refugees from France took 
up their residence, in consequence of the Revoca- 
tion of the Edict of Nantes by Louis XIV. in 1634. 

Stej)hen Lincoln, son of Stejjhen, who came from 
Windham, England, had only one son, Stephen. 
Stephen, son of Stephen, son of Stephen, had three 
sons: Stephen, born probably in 1666, who had 
a descendant in Hingham, Alexander Lincoln, 
who died October 7, 1879 ; David, born September 
22, 1668; James, born October 26, 1681. 

The descendants of Stephen Lincoln, brother of 
Thomas the Husbandman, many of whom are now 
(1882) living, have been confined largely to the 
limits of Hinsrham. 

Isaac Lincoln, born Jan. 18, 1701-2, was a grad- 
uate of Harvard College in 1722, and for a long 
term of years a public school-teacher in Hingham. 

Abner Lincoln, born July 7, 1766, was a grad- 
uate of Harvard College in 1788, and the first 
preceptor of Derby Academy. He was an accom- 
plished scholar and a successful teacher. 



106 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOPJALS. 

Kev. Perez Lincoln, born February 9, 1767, was 
a graduate of Harvard College in 1795, and was a 
minister in Gloucester. 

Rev. Calvin Lincoln, born in Hingliam, Novem- 
ber 1800, died September 11, 1881, aged eighty- 
one years and ten months. He fell from paralysis 
in his pulpit, and while in the act of devotion on 
the day set apart for prayers in behalf of President 
Garfield. He graduated at Harvard College in 
1820 ; was minister at Fitchburg many years; re- 
signed in 1855, and was Secretary of the American 
Unitarian Association a few years. He was after- 
ward settled over the First Parish in Hingham — 
its church edifice being, it is said, the oldest still 
vised for worship in this country, — and its sole pas- 
tor till his death, excepting three years, when Rev. 
Edward Auorustus Horton was his colleauo;e. Be- 
loved by all denominations and all classes, he had 
the reverence and confidence of all who knew him. 
He was a devout, earnest, and faithful minister, and 
the oldest living pastor in his denomination at the 
time of his death. 

Hon. David Wilder, in his History of Leomin- 
ster, says of Rachel Lincoln : " She was the wife of 
Colonel Timothy Boutelle of this town, a daughter 
of Captain Luke Lincoln of Leicester, and her 
genealogy may be traced back to a near relation- 
ship with the late distinguished General Lincoln of 
Hingham." This is unquestionably true. Al- 
though all the Lincolns did not come from the 
same town, Hingham, in England, they did come 
from the same county, Norfolk, and were living 



. LINCOLN FAMILY. 107 

but a few miles from each other at the time of 
their emigration to this country. Their family 
attachments have always been strong from the 
earliest accounts we have of them. They all chis- 
tered in a near neighborhood to each other in the 
Old World, there is the best reason to believe, as 
they liave in the New. Their characteristics have 
borne in every branch of the family a striking re- 
semblance. Friends of good learning, a large 
number of them have been graduates of Harvard 
and other colleges, — patrons and earnest supporters 
of our public schools and academies, and men of 
high principles, public-spirited and uniformly pat- 
riotic. It is but justice to dwell on individuals who 
have honored the name. 

Our subject leads us to speak of Benjamin Lin- 
coln of Revolutionary fame. His militar}^ career 
stands out brightly in the annals of that war 
which established our national independence. His 
fiither held a colonel's commission in England. The 
son was born in Hingham, January 24, 1733, and 
died May 9, 1810, aged seventy-seven years. His 
direct ancestor, Thomas Lincoln the Cooper, 
came from Hingham in England to Hingham in 
Massachusetts in 1636. Benjamin Lincoln was a 
farmer until forty years old. He held many civil 
offices, and was a major-general of the State militia 
early in the Revolution. 

At the time of the battle of Bunker Hill, General 
Lincoln led a company, although not its commis- 
sioned captain, from Hingham to that vicinitj. 



108 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

An incident shows the deplorable destitution of 
some of our men at that period. On his return 
home, Israel Beal, Chairman of the Committee of 
Public Safety in Hingham, said to him: "Well, 
General, did you see the red-coats ? " " Yes," was 
the reply. " Did ye get a shot at 'em ? " " No." 
" Well, it seems to me, General, I would have got 
one shot at 'em." "The flxct is, Mr. Beal," said 
Lincoln, " we had no ammunition." 

Lincoln was in 1776 a brigadier-general, and 
soon after was made a major-general in the Conti- 
nental army; he joined Gates's command, opposed 
Burgoyne's advance, and aided in his final defeat 
and capture, and held many important commands 
durinsr his lono; service. From his sound iudu^ment, 
cautious, yet brave, determined, and indefatigable, 
he secured in a marked degree the confidence of 
Washini^ton. In the battle of Bemis's Heii>:hts he 
received a wound in hisrio-htleo;, which eventuallv 
rendered it two inches shorter than the other, 
caused him great suffering, and compelled him to 
walk lame the remainder of his life. 

In September, 1778, he was placed at the head of 
the Southern Army, with 1100 men. At Fort 
Moultrie he was compelled to surrender ; but 
although unsuccessful also in the attack on Savan- 
nah and the defence of Charleston, he had through 
the whole campaign the confidence of Washington, 
of Congress, of the army, and all the patriotic 
men of the South. He possessed wit as well as 
wisdom. While on the Savannah Piiver, two ropes 



LINCOLN FAMILY. 109 

having been broken in the attempt to hang a de- 
serter of his command, Lincoln, when appUed to 
for directions, replied, " Let him go ; I always 
thought he was a scape-gallows." 

After the siege of Yorktown, in 1781, having 
had a full share in the operations at that place, he, 
in common with Lafayette and Steuben, was pub- 
licly thanked in Washington's general orders, 
October 20. On the surrender of Cornwallis, 
that haughty nobleman was compelled to accept 
the very same terms of capitulation, in manner 
and style, which he had imposed upon General 
Lincoln at the siesre of Charleston. On his march 
to the North with a portion of the army after 
the surrender of Cornwallis, General Lincoln 
received notice of his appointment by Congress as 
the first Secretary of War, on a salary of four 
thousand dollars per annum, being allowed at the 
same time to retain, without pay, his rank in the 
army. In October, 1783, when Congress accepted 
his resignation as Secretary of War, they voted 
" that he be informed that the United States in 
Congress Assembled entertain a high sense of his 
perseverance, fortitude, activity, and meritorious 
services in the field, as well as his diligence, fidel- 
ity, and capacity in the execution of the office of 
Secretary of War, which important trusts he has 
discharged to their entire approbation." 

Governor Bowdoin, in 1787, placed General Lin- 
coln at the head of the militia to suppress the 
Shays Rebellion, which had assumed formidable pro- 



110 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

portions. January 20, with forty-four hundred 
men he marched rapidly through Worcester, Hamp- 
den, and Berkshire counties, and, although the 
rebels were decided and in force, he succeeded, by 
his wise, firm, and yet cautious movements, in dis- 
persing them completely without a drop of blood 
being shed by the men under his command ; al- 
though, in the sequel, about eight hundred persons 
were brousxht as insuro;ents before a commission 
consisting of Benjamin Lincoln, Samuel Phillips, 
Jr., and Samuel A. Otis, a name ever honored in 
the hour of peril to the country and state. Some 
thirteen men were convicted of treason and sen- 
tenced to death, but afterward pardoned. As a 
curious relic of barbarous punishment, a seditious 
member of the Leu:islature was sentenced to sit on 
the galloAvs with a rope about his neck, and to paj^ 
a fine of fifty pounds. 

Lincoln was chosen lieutenant-governor of 
Massachusetts in 1788, and was a member of the 
convention which ratified the Federal Constitution. 
He was early a member of the American Academy 
of Arts and Sciences, and of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society, and was president of the Mas- 
sachusetts Society of the Cincinnati from its 
organization until his death. The confidence be- 
stowed by Washington upon Lincoln, from his 
entrance on public life to the close of his active 
career, is remarkable. So early as 1776, during the 
siege of Boston, his military capability, as major- 
general of the State militia, was noticed by Wash- 
ington. The same year he was sent by Massachu- 



LINCOLN FAMILY. HI 

setts to Long Island to join the commander-in-chief 
He was in the battle of White Plains and at Mor- 
ristown, and was by State influence raised to the 
rank of major-general in the Continental service. 
After prominence in the army at several other 
places, he joined Washington in 1781 on the Hud- 
son, and co-operated in the siege of Yorktown 
with distinction. After the surrender of Corn- 
wall is, the honor of receiving the sword of the 
British commander, was given by Washington to 
Lincoln. On the establishment of the Federal 
government his friends were anxious he should 
have an office in it. Among these was Rev. Joseph 
Jackson of Boston, who called on Washington to 
speak in his favor : " I will give you," said he with 
his usual decided economy of time, '' fifteen min- 
utes to talk." He began by naming Lincoln. " You 
need not go on," said the President ; " I know all 
about General Lincoln." Washington at once 
gave the first appointment of collector of Boston, 
the best office in New England, to his old friend 
and favorite, in which office Lincoln remained 
until about two years before his death, showing 
in it a clear judgment, spotless integrity, and prac- 
tical sagacity which fitted him eminently for the 
situation. His keen sense of honor led him to 
otfer President Jefferson, from whom he difiered in 
politics, his resignation, although he was induced 
to withdraw it. 

General Lincoln retained the plain and simple 
habits of his early farmer's life to the last. He 
was accustomed, when in the Boston collectorship, 



112 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

to return to his home in Ilingham at night by the 
packet from Long Wharf. Walking one day from 
his office on State Street down to the packet, he 
was met by his young friend Samuel May, who saw 
him coming, lame and limping from a wound 
which he received at the taking of Burgoyne, with 
a pair of boots in his hand. Young May, feeling it 
out of place for a man in Lincoln's high position to 
be carrying such things in his hand, asked the 
privilege of taking them to the vessel for him. 
"No, thank you, my dear," said the General; 
'' when I get so old I can't carry my own boots I'll 
go without." His wit was always ready. Dr. 
Waterhouse of Cambridge, a warm friend, often 
called at his office, and on one occasion inquired of 
him if his daughter Mary was still in Hingham. 
"No, sir," was the reply. When about leaving, 
the Doctor aiz-ain remarked : "Then vou said, Gen- 
eral, that Mary was not in Hingham ? " " No, sir," 
was the answer, " she is there, but not still in 
Hingham, — she is never still anywhere." 

Between Generals Knox and Lincoln, who resem- 
bled each other in person, there was great inti- 
macy. Knox, who was rich at one time, named 
for his friend Lincoln a township he owned. 
Engaging afterward in Eastern land speculations, 
and being withal of expensive habits, he became 
greatly involved, and Lincoln kindly endorsed his 
notes. He was urged to evade his responsibility, 
l)ut he refused to do this. His old friend Israel 
Beal came forward, and said to Lincoln : '' General, 
I have a hundred silver dollars in my house that 



LINCOLN FAMILY. 113 

you are entirely welcome to." To which the vet- 
eran replied, with eyes full of tears : " Mr. Beal, I 
thank you, but it would be a drop in the bucket." 
We are glad to know that Knox, having lands 
transferred to him in Maine, finally relieved Lin- 
coln of his burden. 

The correspondence of Knox with Washington, 
Lafiiyette, and other distinguished men, amounting 
to fifty-six folio volumes, has recently, 1882, been 
presented to the New England Historic Genealog- 
ical Society, and will be to future generations a tes- 
timonial of inestimable value to the services of 
General Knox, General Lincoln, and his other asso- 
ciates in the toils, perils, and sufferings, by which 
our National Independence was achieved, the foun- 
dations of our government securely laid, and its 
work commenced. 

General Lincoln's home was in Hing;ham to the 
last, and the house in which he was born and died 
is now owned and occupied by his grandchildren, 
who are the seventh generation who have lived 
there. The estate has descended in a direct line 
from the ancestor who settled there in 1636. Six 
generations of Lincolns have been born on that 
spot, and each family had a son named Benjamin. 
The General died May 9, 1810, a little more than 
seventy-seven years of age. His remains were 
followed to the tomb that stands on an elevation in 
the cemetery — near the unique old meeting-house 
built in 1680, within whose walls he had so long 
worshipped — by a long train of relatives, friends, 
and surviving companions in arms. 

8 



CHAPTER VI. 

PARKER FAMILY. 

The name of Parker has many claims to notice 
in a biographical work on the Revolution. On the 
roll of the men in Captain John Parker's company 
which stood on Lexington Common, April 19, 
1775, there were four of this name : John the 
commander of the company, Jonas who fell in the 
battle that morning, Ebenezer a corporal, and 
Thaddeus ; of whom the two latter were afterward 
in the Continental service, — one for eight months, 
the other at Cambridge the month following the 
battle of Lexington, — and the last, Thaddeus, was 
in the battle of Bunker Hill. I recollect John, 
the son of Captain Parker, well ; and his grandson, 
the distinguished Theodore Parker, was a school- 
mate with me at Lexington. 

The ancestor of this family, Thomas Parker, 
born in 1609, came from London, England, March 
11, 1635, and settled in Lynn the same year. He 
was made Freeman in 1637. He removed to Read- 
in":, where he aided in establishing^ a church, of 
which he became deacon. By his wife. Amy, he 
had eleven children. Of these Joseph, born in 1642, 



PARKER FAMILY. 115 

died 1644. Nathaniel was born May 16, 1651. 
Jonathan, born May 18, 1656, died in 1683, aged 
twenty-seven ; his wife died January 15, 1690. 

Hananiah, the second son, born in 1638, mar- 
ried first, September 30, 1663, Ehzabeth Brown. 
She died in 1698, and he married second, Mrs. 
Mary Wright, widow of Deacon John Wright, of 
Watertown. He died March 10, 1724 ; she died 
January 4, 1736, aged eighty-seven years. He 
lived in Reading, and had the then honored office 
of Lieutenant. They had seven children, of whom 
the first, John, born in 1664, came to Lexington 
about 1712. According to a deed, dated June 25, 
1712, he bought the original family estate in Cam- 
bridge Farms, afterward Lexington, containing 
" one small mansion, and sixty acres of land." He 
must have been a prominent man in town, since in 
" seating* the meetino;-house," in which reference 
was had to age, property, and rank, he was placed 
in the second seat, with the most higlily respected 
citizens. His wife died March 10, 1718 ; and he 
died January 22, 1741, aged seventy-eight years. 
They had five children, of whom Josiah, born April 
11, 1694, married December 8, 1718, Anna Stone, 
daughter of John and Rachel (Shepard) Stone. 
He was honored with the office of Lieutenant, and 
filled several town offices, being chosen town-clerk 
four years, an assessor from 1726 to 1755, with 
intervals, and selectman seven years. Josiah 
Parker and wife were united to the church, August 
13, 1719. He died October 9, 1756, aged sixty- 



116 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

two ; she died September 8, 1760. They bad 
eigbt children, of whom, John, born July 13, 
lf29, married May 22, 1755, Lydia Moore. They 
joined the church October 31, 1756. 

John Parker was a prominent man in Lexing- 
ton. He was chosen assessor in 1764-65-66-74. 
When, in 1774 and early in 1775, the town of 
Lexington made an effort to organize a company 
of minute-men, we have a record over liis signature 
in this language, which shows his military leader- 
ship, and seems the first note of preparation for 
the bloody drama so soon to be enacted : — 

Agreeable to the vote of the town I have received by 
the hands of the Selectmen the drums — there were two 
— provided by the town for the use of the MiUtary 
Company, in this town, until the further order of the 
town. 

John Parker. 

Lexington, March 14, 1775. 

But his greatest distinction was the part he took 
in the beginning of the military operations of the 
Revolution. Ten British officers rode up from 
Boston on the evening of April 18, toward Lex- 
ington, hoping to intercept any news of the 
movement of troops toward Concord. They dined 
on their way at Cambridge. 

The Provincial Committee of Safety — Orne, Lee, 
Gray, and Heath — had adjourned from Concord to 
Menotomy, now Arlington. On the arrival there 
of the British troops, at midnight, they waked, and 



PARKEE FAMILY. 117 

ran, without dressing, into a field to elude them. 
Dr. Warren, a member of this committee, was 
meanwhile in Boston, watching the movements 
there. Both sides were anxious to avoid firing the 
first shot. The Continental and the Provincial 
congresses cautioned their committees, and the 
i:)eople generally, to use great forbearance. 

John Parker commanded the company who 
stood bravely at their post on the 19th of 
April, 1775, — some seventy men, confronted by 
six hundred British regulars. Although the com- 
pany contained such men as Lieutenant Edmund 
Munroe, and Ensign Robert Munroe, who had held 
commissions in the French War, with some twenty 
or thirty, both soldiers and officers, who had seen 
service in the field, Parker commanded such con- 
fidence that he was chosen above them all ; and the 
issue showed they had committed no mistake. He 
was firm, cool, and determined in the trying hour. 
He ordered his men to load their guns, but not fire 
unless fired upon first. When some few seemed 
inclined to falter, he said : " I will cause the first 
man to be shot down who quits the ranks without 
orders." Of Parker's company seventeen out of 
seventy were either killed or wounded. This 
shows that they stood their ground, and must have 
been fired upon at close range. Although eight of 
his men had been killed and several wounded in 
the morning, he rallied his company in the after- 
noon to meet the foe on their return from Concord, 
and fired upon them with execution. 



118 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Captain Parker led a detachment, forty-five men, 
of his company to Cambridge, upon call of the 
Provincial Congress, where they served from May 
6 to May 10, 1775. And again, on the day of the 
Battle of Bmiker Hill, he marched with sixty-one 
of his company to Cambridge, ready for action. 

Although his health was feeble at the time of 
the battle of Lexington, and a fatal disease con- 
tinued its invasion of his physical strength, he 
marched to Cambridge in the following month, and 
a^din on the seventeenth of Jmie, resolute for the 
defence of his country. It must have saddened 
his heart, after the heroic part he had taken in the 
beginning of the great struggle for liberty, that he 
could not liv^e to witness its happy issue. He died 
September 17, 1775, at the age of forty-six. 

In the Massachusetts State House there were 
placed two muskets, memorials of Captain Parker, 
the gift to the State of his grandson, Rev. Theo- 
dore Parker. On one is inscribed : — 

The First Fire Arm 
Captured in the 
War of Independence. 

and on the other : — 

This Firearm was used by 

Capt. John Parker, 

IN the Battle of Lexington, 

April 19th, 

1775. 

These invaluable mementoes were received by 
the State authorities with appropriate ceremonies, 



PAEKER FAMILY. 119 

and are conspicuously suspended, for public view, 
in the Senate chamber of the State House. 

The children of John and Lydia (Moore) Parker 
were seven, of whom John the 3d, born February 
14, 1761, married, February 17, 1785, Hannah 
Stearns, born May 21, 1764. He died November 
3, 1835, aged seventy-four ; she died May 15, 1823, 
aged fifty-nine years. They had eleven children, 
the youngest of these was Theodore, born Au- 
gust 24, 1810. He married, April 20, 1837, Lydia 
D. Cabot of Boston, daughter of John and Lydia 
(Dodge) Cabot, born September 12, 1813. They 
had no children. 

My earliest acquaintance with Theodore Parker 
dates back to the days of our boyhood. Living in 
the central district of Lexington, — where, as the 
wages of the school-teacher were higher than in 
the outside sections, and the appropriations equal, 
our portion was soonest exhausted, — I was sent 
by my parents to finish the winter's schooling at 
some one of the outer districts. One season it was 
my lot to go a few weeks to the same school with 
Theodore. He was a very bright boy and a pleas- 
ant companion. His schoolmates found it needed 
a spur to keep pace with him in his rare progress. 
I remember well the old family mansion, which had 
been a homestead back to 1712. There was the 
well of the fathers, with its high mounted sweep 
and its " old oaken bucket," in use, I believe, to 
this day. And there, near the house, stood the 
old belfry building which, on the site of the 



]20 REMIXISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

present monument on the Common, rang forth 
the alarm that called Parker and his compan}' to 
arms on the memorable nineteenth of April, 1775. 
This venerable relic was obtained by his family, 
and removed to the ancient estate where it is in 
part still standing. 

In November 1879, 1 visited the old Parker home- 
stead, then occupied by a nephew of his name and 
family, and entered the old workshop where Theo- 
dore's father long labored at his bench ; and where 
the son, no doubt, must in his early days have 
worked with his own hands. What memories 
clustered around that belfry workshop ! Here the 
child and the youth, surrounded by field and w^ood, 
in the simple home-life of his venerated and Avise 
mother, and his modest, faithful father, must have 
meditated great thoughts and pious resolves, 
and been trained to become afterward the world- 
renowned preacher and writer, whose words have 
gone out so far and sunk so deeply into thousands 
of reveringr minds and lovincr hearts. I brouo-ht 
away with me, the gift of the kind nephew, as a 
precious souvenir, a block of one of the very 
timbers that supported the bell which, April 19, 
1775, rang forth the first summons to battle in the 
cause of American freedom and independence. 

Theodore Parker came of a fixmily who were 
fxrmers or mechanics. His father not only culti- 
vated the land, but bored pumps, in which 
occupation I often saw him employed at my 
father's house, — a plain man of quiet manners, 



PARKER FAMILY. 121 

and endowed with the good sense of his ancestors. 
Theodore worked on the farm and in the carpen- 
ter's shop, and in 1830, at the age of twenty, 
entered Harvard College ; but, from his narrow 
pecuniary resources, he could not pursue his stud- 
ies there, and remained at home studying as he 
could, "keeping school" — having begun at the 
ag;:e of nineteen — in the winters. He afterward 
took a private class in Boston, and went on with 
his studies, yet not in such form as to secure a 
deo;ree from Harvard Colles-e. His vast love of 
knowledge prompted him to fill every leisure hour 
with the study of Latin, Greek, Hebrew, German, 
French, and Spanish. He opened a private school 
in Watertown in 1832, and had fifty scholars. 
Mejuitime he was studying theology to prepare 
for the ministry, and entered the Cambridge 
Divinity School in 1834, and took up the Syriac, 
Arabic, Danish, and Swedish languages, and soon 
added the Any-lo-Saxon and modern Greek. 

After preaching in many pulpits he was settled 
at West Roxbury, in June, 1837. In 1840 he re- 
ceived from Harvard Collesre the desrree of Master 
of Arts. He gradually changed his views of the 
inspiration of the Scriptures, and in 1841, May 
19, he preached an ordination sermon at South 
Boston, on " The Transient and Permanent in 
Christianity," in which he advocated the simple 
humanity of Christ and a complete anti-super- 
naturalism. He became involved in a widespread 
controversy, which led at length to his preaching 



122 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

at the Boston Melodeon, where he Avas installed 
over a new society in 1846. Previous!}' to this 
time he had occasioned much censure by preach- 
ing in Unitarian pulpits, whose ministers had con- 
sented to such exchanges. The writer was among 
those who committed in this way what some of his 
friends res-arded as an offence. We were settled 
near each other. I was attached to him, and we 
sympathized in our love of liberty, civil and relig- 
ious. I exchanged pulpits with him, not as agree- 
ing wholly with him in his theology, but feeling 
that he was honest and reverent, and entitled to 
respectful and kind treatment in the pulpit, even 
from those who differed from him on many con- 
tested points in regard to the inspiration of the 
Scriptures and the nature and character of Christ. 

His treatment of the Bible seemed to many of 
us very free, although at the present day he has 
been far outstripped in that direction, and to some 
of those who Mrite on the same topics now, abroad 
ancf at home, he appears quite conservative. The 
ProQ-ressives of our ap-e would have startled Mr. 
Parker, denjdng or doubting, as they do, in not a 
few instances, those great truths which were fixed 
in his mind as firmly as his own being, — the ex- 
istence of a God, wise, kind, paternal, and that 
immortality, of which he said he was personally 
conscious, and for which logic as well as feeling 
furnished, he affirmed, a sure basis. 

On the day of our exchange I remained and 
took tea at his house, some half-mile w^est of his 



PARKER FAMILY. 123 

church, with him and his wife, a most pleasing and 
amiable person. They had no children, and seemed 
to be truly all in all to each other. It was a most 
happy meeting, and may well recall those ten res- 
olutions we find entered on their wedding day, in 
Mr. Parker's since published journal : — 

1. Never, except for the best of causes, to oppose 
my wife's will. 

2. To discharge all duties for her sake, freely. 

3. Never to scold. 

4. Never to look cross at her. 

5. Never to weary her with commands. 

6. To promote her piety. 

7. To bear her burdens. 

8. To overlook her foibles. 

9. To love, cherish, and forever defend her. 

10. To remember her always, most affectionately, in 
my prayers. Thus, God willing, we shall be blessed. 

Mrs. Parker survived him until April 9, 1881, to 
the age of sixty-seven years. 

I subjoin an autograph letter, which led to the 
above mentioned exchange : — 

West Roxbury, 9 Feb. '46. 

My Dear Sir : — You and I have never exchanged. 
I write not to request but to suggest one. If you have 
any objection on the score of conscience, as some, or of 
expedience which is the conscience of some, say " nay' 
plainly, and at once. But if you feel scruples from 
neither source, I shall be glad of an exchange, and the 



124 KEMINISCEXCES AXD MEMOllIALS. 

sooner the better, as I have none past, present, or to 
come, for since the 11 of July I have had but t^ix ex- 
changes, one for half a day only. 

Yours very trul}^ 

Theo. Paeker. 

Mr. Parker was a devout man, as all who ever 
attended his services, or have read the volume of 
his prayers, must acknowledge. Like all other 
men he had his limitations. He was sometimes ex- 
asperated by the illiberal treatment he received, 
and used sharp and incisive language in public re- 
garding those whose alleged crimes or flxults, and 
what he deemed errors of thought or conduct on 
the questions of reform, deeply stirred his spirit. 
Bathe had still a kind heart, and sympathized with 
all the suffering, oppressed, and friendless, and la- 
bored in season and out of season for their relief; 
and he was, in my judgment, for these reasons, 
entitled not only to charity but strict justice. 

To the writer it seems very narrow in one who 
claims to be a liberal Christian not to accord cheer- 
fully to Theodore Parker the virtues of thorough 
honesty and sincere piety, however differing from 
him in drawino; the line or believing; in a line be- 
tween the natural and supernatural. We all can 
afford to go as far in this direction as Dean Stan- 
ley, who said : " The theology of the times is more 
indebted to Theodore Parker than to any of his 
contemporaries," and who recently entertained as 
his guest, Ernest Renan, from many of whose 
theological opinions he widely dissented. 



PARKER FAMILY. 125 

As an evidence of the intellectual tastes and cul- 
ture of the American branch of the Parkers, it is 
interesting to note that, so flir back as the year 
1826, no less than fifty-nine of this family had 
graduated at New England colleges. So early as 
1661 John Parker graduated at Harvard College, 
at which period we find this record on the Stew- 
ard's Books: "waiter hooke, Debitor &c. pay*^ by 
John Parker of Boston." 

England sent over many valuable ministers to 
this country in our early history. Rev. John 
Woodbridge, afterward the highly prized minister 
of Andover, came to New England, Boston, in 
1634, in company with his uncle, Rev. Thomas 
Parker, who settled at Newbury, and was one of 
the best scholars of his day, and generally had 
more than on3 student in his charge. Rev. Shu- 
bael Dummer, minister of York, Maine, was fitted 
for college in Newbury, his native place, by Rev. 
Thomas Parker. 

I'he Hon. Charles Hudson told me, as Ave stood 
together in the old Lexington burying-place, No- 
vember 11, 1879, that Theodore Parker, with 
Captain Jonathan Parker and himself, while stand- 
ing on a lot in that ground by the side of grave- 
stones marked with the name of Stearns, the 
family name of his mother, said : " Here all my 
ftither's and grandfather's family were buried, and 
when I die, I wish to be buried on this spot." 
If this spot is thus clearly identified by the burial 
there of the remains of Captain John Parker, 



126 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

a monument ought to be erected upon it in honor of 
that brave and patriotic man, the first who com- 
manded an organized force arrayed against the 
British Empire in that memorable Revolution 
which led to our national independence. A large 
space of land is now, 1882, vacant of tomb- 
stones, and these centennial years ought not to 
pass without at least some modest memorial being 
raised, to commemorate one so clearly entitled to 
tlie veneration, not only of his own town and State, 
but of the whole country. 

It should be said in justice to the many devoted 
friends of Theodore Parker, that they erected a 
commemorative stone in Lexington on the spot 
where the old house stood in which he was born. 
This stone is of Concord granite, three feet square 
and three and a half feet high, resting on a base 
four feet square and one foot high. On the front, 
in raised characters, is the simple inscription : — 

Birth Place 

of 
Theodore Parker, 

1810. 

I am glad to know that, by the liberality of Mr. 
N. C. Nash, who contributed for this object $5,000, 
and Avith additional subscriptions, a statue of Mr. 
Parker is to be erected in the city of Boston. 

Unhappily his wish in regard to his burial-place 
could not be gratified. In 1859, he was enfeebled 
by incessant labors, and a hemorrhage from the 



PARKER FAMILY. 127 

lungs obliged him to suspend his work. He, by the 
advice of his physician, embarked for the West 
Indies, and after a time sailed for the South of 
Europe. But nothing could arrest his disease, and 
he died at Florence, Italy, May 10, 1860. His 
great heart yearned for the emancipation of the 
colored race, but he "died without the sight." 
Yet, when he was near the borders of the Heav- 
enly land he said, with a prophetic instinct : 
" There is a glorious future for America, but the 
other side of the Red Sea." He was buried in a 
small Protestant cemetery, outside of the city 
walls, which I well remember visiting some years 
before his death. The grave is enclosed by a bor- 
der of gray marble, and at its head is a plain stone 
of the same material, with this inscription : — 

Theodore Parker, 

Born at Lexington, Mass., 

United States of America, 

Aug. 24, 1810. 

Died at Florence, May 10, 1860. 

Andrew Parker, born February 14, 1693, son of 
John Parker, born 1664, married August 2, 1720, 
Sarah Whitney. She died December 18, 1774, 
aged seventy, and he died April 8, 1776, aged 
eighty-three years. 

They had twelve children, one of whom Jonas 
Parker, born February 6, 1722, was one of the 
martyrs of liberty who fell on Lexington common, 
April 19, 1775. His name stands second on the 



128 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

noble roll of the eight martyrs who fell on the morn- 
ing of that eventful day. Edward Everett, in his 
address, April 19, 1835, says of him : "Roman 
history does not furnish an example of bravery 
that outshines that of Jonas Parker. A truer heart 
did not bleed at Thermopylae. He was next door 
neighbor of Rev. Mr. Clark, and had evidently 
imbibed a double portion of his lofty spirit. Par- 
ker was often heard to say, ' Be the conse- 
quences what they might, and let others do what 
they pleased, he would never run from the enemy.' 
He was as good as his word, — better. Having 
loaded his musket, he placed his hat, containing 
his ammnnition, on the ground between his feet, 
in readiness for the second cliar£z;e. At the second 
fire from the enemy he was wounded and sunk 
upon his knees, and in this condition discharged 
his gun. While loading it again upon his knees, 
and strivino; in the as-onies of death to redeem his 
pledge, he w^as transfixed by a bayonet, and died 
on the spot." 

Thaddeus Parker, born September 2, 1741, son of 
Josiah, born April 11, 1694, married May 27, 1759, 
Mary Reed, daughter of William and Abigail 
(Stone) Reed. He died February 10, 1789, aged 
forty-eight; she died October 9, 1811, aged sev- 
enty-three years. Thaddeus Parker was one of the 
selectmen of Lexington in 1770-71-73-77, at a 
period when that board were required to perform 
most important duties. He was a member of that 
brave company who, under the command of his 



PARKER FAMILY. 



129 



brother, John Parker, stood before the British 
forces April 19, 1775. He was afterward, true to 
his principles, in the service for eight months. 

Ebenezer Parker, son of Thomas, son of An- 
drew, married, December 3, 1772, Dorcas Munroe. 
They had three children, baptized in Lexington : 
Abijah, baptized May 30, 1773; Quincy, baptized 
April 30, 1775; Lucy, baptized July 22, 1781. 
He and his wife were dismissed to the church in 
Princeton, November 9, 1788. He was a corporal 
in the company of his relative. Captain Parker, and 
was with them April 19, 1775, — also on the sixth 
of May following, and on the seventeenth of June 
at Bunker Hill. 




FIRST MEETING-HOUSE IN SALEM. 



CHAPTER VII. 

MUNROE FAMILY. 

When some one spoke to Colonel William Mun- 
roe of Lexington, — member and officer in Captain 
John Parker's company, April 19, 1775 — of the 
bravery of the Munroes in the War of the Revo- 
lution : " No wonder, at all, sir," he replied : " they 
have Irish, Scotch, and Yankee blood in their veins." 
We trace this family back to Ireland. The origi- 
nal name was spelt with one syllable, Ro ; the hrst 
person of this stock whom we find in history is 
Occon, or Ocon Roe, whose son Donald, born in 
Ireland, went to Scotland, in the beginning of the 
eleventh century, to assist King Malcolm II. in 
his war against the Danes. The King gave him 
for his services certain lands in Scotland, which 
were named by the King the Barony of Fowlis. 
His descendants added to the original name the 
syllable 3Ion. At subsequent periods this name 
was spelt variously Monro, Munro, Monroe, and 
Munroe. The present name of a clergyman and 
popular writer of this family is spelt Roe. He 
imdoubtedly is a descendant from the original Ro 
of Ireland. 

The same traits of character may be found in 



MUNROE FAMILY. 131 

all ages, the heritage of the heroic, shrewd, honest, 
firm, and courageous old stock of Ro. 

We should never lose sight of the grand military 
record of this family. George Munroe, Ninth 
Baron of Fowlis, was slain at the battle of Ban- 
nockburn, under Robert Bruce of Scotland, in 1314. 
Robert Munroe, Twenty-first Baron, was killed in 
the service of Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden, de- 
fending the civil and religious liberties of Germany, 
in 1633. Sir Robert, Twenty-fifth Baron, was a 
zealous Presbyterian, and being remarkable for size 
and corpulency, — the same figure with Colonel 
Munroe of our Revolution, — he was nicknamed 
" the Presbyterian mortar-piece." His grandson 
Sir Robert, Twenty-seventh Baron, who succeeded 
his father in 1729, was greatly distinguished for his 
military services. He was in the battle of Fonte- 
noy. He would order his men to throw them- 
selves upon the ground and receive the enemy's 
fire, and then rise and rush upon them, as they did 
with fatal effect ; but he himself stood upright un- 
der fire. Being asked afterward why he did this, 
he replied that " though he could throw himself on 
the ground, like the young and leaner men, his 
great bulk and corpulency would not suffer him to 
rise instantly and rush upon the enemy." In the 
battle of Falkirk he was slain. Two of his brothers, 
Dr. Munroe and Captain George Munroe, were also 
in that engagement, and the former was killed. 

Up to the year 1651, there had been three gen- 
erals, eight colonels, eleven majors, thirty captains 



132 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and five lieutenants of the Miinroe stock. At the 
battle of Worcester, where Cromwell was victori- 
ous, several Munroes were made prisoners, and 
some of them were bound out as apprentices to 
farmers in America. Among these is supposed to 
have been AYilliam, the ancestor of the family in 
this country. In the two great wars on this soil, 
in the eighteenth century, their name is promi- 
nent. In the old French War, Sergeant William 
Munroe served in 1754-55; Lieutenant Edmund 
Munroe in 1757, 1758 and 1761 ; Jonas Munroe in 
1755-57; James Munroe in 1757-58-59; Ensign 
Robert Munroe in 1758 and 1762 ; David Munroe 
in 1757-59. To these w'e must add Thaddeus, 
John, Abraham, Stephen, and Josiah, eleven of one 
family name in the French War ; while in that of 
the Revolution there were no less than fourteen 
who bore arms, of wdiom one. Ensign Robert Mun- 
roe, is enrolled among the eight whose names are 
on the monument at Lexington as killed in the 
battle. 

Colonel William Munroe — with whose stalwart 
form and determined movements, slightly enfeebled 
by age, I was familiar from my boyhood — was born 
October 22, 1742. He married first, Anna Smith, 
daughter of Benjamin and Anna (Parker) Smith, 
who was born March 31, 1743, and died January 2, 
1781, aged thirty-eight years. He married second, 
widow Poll}^ Rogers of Westford, wdiose first hus- 
band was killed at the battle of Monmouth. Col- 
onel Munroe was an officer in the Revolution, — 



MUNROE FAMILY. 133 

one of the noble company who met the British on 
Lexington Common, April 19, 1775, and at that 
time was orderly sergeant. He was a lieutenant 
in the Northern army at the taking of Burgoyne, 
in 1777. He was a prominent man in Lexington, 
was selectman nine years, and Representative to 
the Legislature two years, was a colonel in the 
militia, and engaged in suppressing the Shays Re- 
bellion. He kept the Munroe Tavern, where the 
British troops refreshed themselves April 19, 1775, 
on their return from Concord, and where they 
committed many outrages, murdering in cold blood 
John Raymond, as he was quietly leaving the 
house. It was here President Washing-ton dined 
in 1789, when, on his visit to New England, he 
came to Lexino;ton to view the first battle-field of 
the Revolution. Colonel Munroe died October 30, 
1827, aged eighty-five years. His second wife 
died January 10, 1839, aged seventy-three years. 
The children of William and Anna (Smith) Mun- 
roe were six in number. 

(1) William, born May 28, 1768, who married 
Susan B. Grinnell of New Bedford, was killed at 
Richmond, Virginia, in 1814, by the upsetting 
of a stage-coach. 

(2) Anna, born May 9, 1771, married Rev. Wil- 
liam Muzzey of Sullivan, New Hampshire, Septem- 
ber 20, 1798. Both died in Lexington, — he, April 
10, 1835, aged 64, and she in 1850, aged 79 years. 

(3) Sarah, born October 21, 1773, married Jona- 
than Wheelock of Connecticut; she died at the 
age of seventy-seven years. 



134 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

(4) Liicinda, born April 9, 1776, died unmar- 
ried, June 2, 1863, aged eighty-seven years. 

(5) Jonas, born June 11, 1778, married, March 
17, 1814, Abigail C. Smith. He lived on the home- 
stead in Lexington, — a man " of infinite jest," of 
popular manners, and known through the town by 
the familiar name of "Uncle Jonas." 

(6) Edmund, born October 29, 1780, married 
first, Harriet Downes, second, Lydia Downes, third, 
Sophia Sewall. He was a broker in Boston, and 
died April 17, 1865, aged eighty-four years and 
six months. 

This ancient family were among the first to em- 
brace the Reformation, and were zealous supporters 
of it. As I read the old record of these men, I am 
constantly reminded of their honored descendants 
of Lexington. They were " all remarkable for a 
brave spirit, full of love to their native land, and 
of distinguished zeal for religion and liberty, — 
faithful in their promises, steadfast in their friend- 
ships, and abundant in their charity to the poor 
and distressed." 

William Munroe. the ancestor of the Lexington 
family, was born in Scotland in 1625, and came to 
this country in 1652. He lived first in Menotomy, 
now Arlington, and then a part of Cambridge. 
We first find his name in the records of Cambridge 
in 1657. He settled at Cambridge Farms, now 
Lexington, then a part of Cambridge, about 1660. 
Several of his sons, of whom he had six, settled 
near him at first. Mrs. Sanderson, his great-grand- 



MUNROE FAMILY. 135 

daughter, who died at Lexmgton m 1853, aged 
one hundred and four years, said that liis old house 
looked like a ropewalk, so many additions had 
been made to it to accommodate his sons, as they 
successively settled in life. Adopting the custom 
of the Scottish clans, he kept the Munroes much 
together, and made them, for some time, a kind of 
distinct people. The section of Lexington they 
occupied was, and still is, known by the name of 
Scotland, in honor of the first settler on that spot. 
He died January 27, 1717, at the age of ninety- 
two. He had three wives. The third was Eliza- 
beth Wyer, widow of Edward Wyer of Charles- 
town. He must have married for love and not 
money, for, among the papers he left is an in- 
ventory of the property which belonged to her, 
the whole of which is " one bed, one bolster, one 
pillow, one chest, one warming-pan, one pair of 
tongs, and one pewter platter." 

Edmund, grandson of William Munroe, was 
born February 2, 1736, and married, in 1768, Re- 
becca, daughter of Jonathan and Abigail (Dunster) 
Harrinsfton. She was a sister of Jonathan Harrino;- 
ton, who died in 1854, the last survivor of the 
battle of Lexintrton. Edmund Munroe entered 
the Provincial service at an early age. He was 
ensign in a corps of Rangers under Major Rogers, 
which performed signal service in the French War. 
In 1761 he was acting adjutant in Colonel Hour's 
regiment at Crown Point. In 1762 he received a 
commission, from Governor Bernard, as lieutenant 



136 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOPJALS. 

in his Majesty's service, and continued with the 
troops at Crown Point, Ticonderoga, and its vicinity 
till the peace of 1763. His services in these cam- 
paigns were of the most honorable character, and 
he was presented, as a reward of his bravery, with 
a sword captured from one of the French officers. 
This interesting relic is now in the possession of 
one of his descendants, Mr. E. S. Fessenden of 
Arlington. 

On the nineteenth of April, 1775, he was one 
of the Lexington minute-men, and was present at 
the battle on that day. As early as August, 1776, 
we find him on his way to meet the British on the 
same field where he had co-operated with them to 
subdue the French and Indians. He was commis- 
sioned lieutenant on the twelfth of Jul}^, 1776, in 
Colonel Reed's reo-iment. On the sixteenth of the 
same month he was appointed a quartermaster, and 
sent to the northern frontier. On the first of 
January following, he received a commission as 
Captain in Colonel Bigelow's regiment. He was 
with the northern army, under Gates, at Stillwater, 
Saratoga, and Bennington, and so distinguished 
himself, that after the capture of Biu'goyne, he 
was presented by his superior officers with a pair 
of candlesticks, a part of the travelling equipage 
of General Burgoyne. They are now in the pos- 
session of a ladv in Arlinij::ton. 

On the capture of Burgoyne, Captain Munroe 
was sent with his regiment to New Jersey, where 
he served under Washinicton. When he entered 



M UN ROE FAMILY. 



10/ 



upon the command of a companj^ he had with 
hhn fifteen men from Lexington. He was killed 
by a cannon-ball, while in line of battle, on the 
field of Freehold, commonly called the bjfttle of 
Monmouth, June 2S, 1778. The oath of office of 
Captain Munroe, witnessed at Valley Forge by the 
Baron de Kalb, May 18, 1778, is now in the pos- 
session of Dr. Francis H. Brown, a descendant of 
Captain Edmund Munroe. 

Captain Munroe was deliberatelj^ brave, without 
rashness. His knowledge of military matters 
and his sterling traits of character rendered him 
a valuable aid in the struo-o-le of the Revolution, 
and his services were eagerly sought in the forma- 
tion of the American army. 

He was forty-two years old at the time of his 
death. His widow survived him, and died in 
1834, at the age of eighty-three years. 




THE HANCOCK HOUSE, BOSTON. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



BROWN FAMILY. 



Francis Brow?^ came of the good old yeomun 
stock of New England. His ancestors, .coming 
from England in 1632, in the persons of " John 
Brown and Dorothy his wife," settled m Water- 
town, in company with the uncles Richard and 
Abraham. Anterior to this date, for eight gener- 
ations, and for nearly three hundred years, their 
ancestors had been landed gentry in the East of 
England, where they left memorials of upright 
lives and honorable positions in the society of the 
day. 

John Brown brought with him his son, of the 
same name, then a year old, who at the age of 
twenty-four married Hester Makepeace of Boston; 
and from their union came this branch of the family. 
Their grandson, Francis Brown, was born in 1738. 
At the time of the battle of Lexington, he was liv- 
ing in that portion of the town known as Scot- 
land. His grandfather had removed to Lexington 
in 1709, and the family has been represented there 
from that time. The knowledge we liave of the 
Lexington minute-man is such as to show that he 



BROWN FAMILY. 139 

was a man (>f great decision of character, and well 
fitted by nature and training to meet the iinpend- 
ing cri'o'V. He was of middle size, strong and 
active. He was a man of true courage, of the 
calm ^tnd reliable class, which does not rush un- 
necessarily into danger ; but when duty called, he 
w>ald not flinch or hesitate. He was a person of 
good executive qualities in all situations in life, 
ackowledged by common consent and choice as a 
leader amono; his neiij-hbors and friends. In 1764 
he married Mary Buckman of Lexington, sister of 
John Buckman, who was the village innholder in 
1775. She was born in 1740, and died in Lex- 
ington in 1824. She is represented as small in 
stature, quiet and retiring, of great refinement and 
considerable culture. She had a then rare taste 
for painting, fine needlework, and embroidery, and 
other accomplishments, which gave her a superior 
position in the community in which she lived. 

James Brown, whom I recollect from my boy- 
hood, the oldest son of Francis and Mary, was a 
mere child at the time of the battle of Lexington. 
He remembered the trepidation which he witnessed 
in his parents and their fellow townsmen, but could 
not well appreciate, at the coming of the British 
troops. The hasty concealment of their household 
treasures, and the retreat of the family to the 
woods, made an impression on his infant mind 
which years could not efface. At the time of the 
battle, the minute-men of Lexington included in 
their number the principal men of the town. John 



140 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Parker, then forty-six years of age, commanded 
the company in which Francis Brown was a sen 
geant. On the study walls of one of our city 
homes hano-s an old-time cartrido;e-box, havins; 
the inscription, " F. B,, 1774." At a later date 
Brown was captain of the same company, and did 
good service at Cambridge, in the fortifications 
around Boston, at Ticonderoga, and elsewhere. 

The similarity of names in the old rolls of the 
company indicate that several of the minute-men 
were closely related by ties of family, as well as by 
those of a common interest, and that they thus 
stood up as one family to offer the first armed re- 
sistance to British oppression. The spirit of un- 
rest which pervaded the neighborhood of Boston 
in the spring of 1775 did not fail to reach the in- 
habitants of Lexington. Everything indicated an 
immediate crisis, and the information brought by 
watchful Patriots durino; the ni^-ht of the ei";h- 
teenth, found the minute-men prepared for the 
emergency. 

Sergeant Brown was one of the band who 
guarded Hancock and Adams at the house of Par- 
son Clark on the memorable nig-ht of the eii»:h- 
teenth, and accompanied them to the place of 
safety they sought on the morning of the nine- 
teenth of April. He was present with the com- 
pany on the Common at the time of the attack 
by the British troops, and in the afternoon fol- 
lowed them to Concord. After leaving the Com- 
mon he proceeded up the old Bedford Road, now 



BROWX FAMILY. 141 

Hancock Street, in advance of a squad of the 
regulars sent up to search the old Clark house. 
He was seen and pursued by a mounted officer, 
who struck at him with his sword, and demanded 
his surrender. Brown managed to keep the horse 
at the length of his musket, and the sword of the 
officer only fell on the barrel. Seeing the sol- 
diers drawing near to him, and that his position 
was becoming perilous, he took advantage of a 
favorable moment, leaped a high rail-fence, and 
ran down into a swamp at the side of the road. 
He escaped the bullets of the soldiers, which 
clicked aniono- the leaves of the trees above his 
head. Here he found a number of fellow minute- 
men, who had preceded him in seeking this place 
of temporary shelter. After this escape, he joined 
in the pursuit of the British troops, keeping near 
enough to do his part in harassing them, and ex- 
chano;ino; shots with them as occasion offered. 
On the return from Concord, in the town of Lin- 
coln, he fell in with three of the regulars, and while 
stepping out from behind a rock, was seen and fired 
upon, the ball wounding him in the neck. With 
that singular good fortune which so often attends 
wounds in this region, no important parts were in- 
jured, and the ball found a lodgment beneath the 
skin at tha back of the neck, and was removed a 
year later. 

Francis Brown left hishome,his wife and children, 
to meet the demand of his country for brave hearts 
and freedom-loving spirits. He outlived the dan- 



142 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

gers and the thraldom of the period, and enjoyed 
for many years a happy home and the respect of 
his fellow townsmen. He died in 1800. His 
body rests in the cemetery at Lexington, beside 
that of his faithful wife. The stones above their 
graves tell the simple tale of life and death. His 
son James married Pamelia, born in 1773, daugh- 
ter of Captain Edmund Munroe. 



CHAPTER IX. 

KIRK LAND FAMILY. 

The names of Samuel and John Thornton 
Kirkhind figure somewhat largely in American 
history. They were separated in their special offi- 
ces and functions^ the one as missionary among the 
Indians and chaplain in the Revolutionary War, 
the other as pastor of a church and president of 
the oldest college in the country ; and yet they 
were united, we shall find, at many interesting 
points. 

Of a common stock, we may look a moment at 
their ancestry. The name Kirkland, that is 
Churchland, indicates their Scotch descent. John 
Kirkland is said to have come to this country 
directly from Silver Street in London. He had a 
son John who was the father of ten children, of 
whom Daniel, the father of Samuel, was the 
youngest but one. Daniel was born in Saybrook, 
Connecticut, in 1701, graduated at Yale College in 
1720, and was ordained as the first minister of the 
Third Congregational Church in Norwich, Decem- 
ber 10, 1723. In 1753 he resigned his pastorate, 
and was for a short time settled at Groton, Con- 



144 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOPJALS. 

necticut, but returned to Norwich in 1758, and 
died there in May, 1773. He bore the reputation 
of being a devoted minister of Christ, a man of 
native abilities, a good scholar, of a facetious turn, 
and a most amiable disposition. In many respects 
his character seems to have foreshadowed quali- 
ties conspicuous in his grandson, the President of 
Harvard College. 

Samuel Kikkland, born December 1, 1741, was 
a student at Rev. Dr. Wheelock's school at Leb- 
anon, Connecticut, in 17G1. In the autumn of 
1762 he entered Princeton College, New Jersey, 
and received a degree in 1765. Many of the 
students at Princeton, including Indian youth, 
were then preparing themselves to be teachers or 
missionaries among the Indians. This circum- 
stance liad its influence probably in deciding 
Samuel Kirkland to become afterward himself a 
missionary to that race. 

At the early age of twenty-three he was marked 
by his great physical vigor, his benevolence, his 
courage, his devotion to the cause of Christ, and 
zeal for the conversion of the heathen, as a fit man 
to be sent as missionary to the Senecas, a tribe 
of savage and bloodthirsty warriors. He spent a 
year and a half among these Indians, and his 
journeys through forests, and especially snows in 
the month of January, were attended with ex- 
treme sufferings and perils. On his arrival, one 
of the chiefs made a friendly speech, and advised 
his " brothers " to receive the young man kindly. 



KIRKLAND FAMILY. 145 

" He loves Indians," were his words, " he wishes to 
do them good." After a long- silence another 
chief, of an opposite character, uttered himself in 
a different strain : " This white-skin," said he, 
" has come upon a dark design, or he would not 
have travelled so many hundred miles. He brings 
with him the white people's Book; they call it 
God's Holy Book. You know this book was 
never made for Indians. The Great Spirit gave us 
a book for ourselves. He wrote it in our heads. 
He put it into the minds of our fathers ; and gave 
them rules about worshipping him ; and our fathers 
observed these rules, and the upholder of the skies 
was pleased, and gave them success in hunting 
and made them victorious over their enemies in 
war. Brothers, attend ! Be assured that if we 
Senecas receive this white man, and attend to the 
book made only for white people, we shall become 
miserable. The spirit of the brave warrior and the 
good hunter will be no more among us. We shall 
be sunk so low as to hoe corn and squashes in 
the field, chop wood, stoop down and milk cows. 
. . . Of this are we not warned by the sudden death 
of our good brother and wise sachem ? Brothers, 
listen to what I say. Ought not this white man's 
life to make satisfaction for our deceased brother's 
death?" 

After much discussion, and finding in Mr. Kirk- 
land's knapsack no magic powder that could have 
killed their lost brother, and after the head sachem 
had made a long speech, and advised them to 

10 



146 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOIIIALS. 

"bury the hatchet deep in the ground," the oppo- 
sition was withdrawn ; there was a general shout of 
applause, and the head sachem said, " Our busi- 
ness is done, I rake up the council fire." 

Mr. Kirkland began his missionary labors about 
the first of August, 1766, and continued them, 
with occasional interruptions, for forty years. In 
1769 he married Jerusha Bingham, a niece of Rev. 
Dr. Wheelock, a lady of fine intellectual and 
moral qualities and deeply interested in his mission- 
ary work. By her he had two sons, twins, born 
August 17, 1770, and named in honor of two of 
his esteemed friends and benefactors, George 
Whitefield and John Thornton. They resided 
some time in Oneida, and the Indians at once 
adopted the boys into their tribe, giving to George 
the name of Lagoneost, and to John that of Ab- 
ganoiska, that is, Fair Face. 

Mrs. Kirkland passed the winter of 1772-73 at 
Stockbridge, Massachusetts; and the unsettled 
condition of affairs among the Indians and the 
prospect of war with Great Britain making it 
unsafe for her to return to her husband, she oc- 
cupied a small farm in Stockbridge, and, occasion- 
ally visited by him, she remained there until the 
peace of 1783. 

Mr. Kirkland rendered important services to the 
country through the whole Revolutionary War. 
As early as July 18, 1775, a vote of Congress 
recommended that " the Commissioners of the 
Northern Department employ Rev. Samuel Kirk- 



KIEKLAND FAMILY. 147 

land among the Indians of the Six Nations, in 
order to secure their friendship and to continue 
them in a state of neutrality with respect to the 
present controversy between Great Britain and 
these Colonies." In this capacity he labored earn- 
estly to keep the peace among them. He also 
received a commission from the Continental Con- 
gress as a chaplain in the army. At the siege of 
Fort Schuyler and the other posts in that vicinity 
he officiated with the pay and subsistence of a bri- 
gade-chaplain, and was instructed at the same time 
"to pay as great attention to the Oneidas and 
other Indians contiguous to them, as might be con- 
sistent with the above mentioned appointment." 

He writes to his wife, from Fort Schuyler, Sep- 
tember 15, 1776 : — 

I am to be faithful in improving opportunities of per- 
sonal intercourse with the troops, to enliven their love 
of God and of liberty, and their readiness to do and to 
suffer for the cause of the country. 

It was difficult to keep the Indians strictly neu- 
tral, and they insisted at one time on taking a part 
in the contest with Great Britain, and about two 
hundred and fifty warriors rendered great service 
to the cause under a remarkable Oneida chief 
named Skeneando. This chief was one of the 
most extraordinary men in all the Six Nations. Of 
a tall and commanding figure, his constitution was 
strong, and his countenance manifested great in- 
telligence and dignity. Brave as a warrior, he 



148 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

became also a most noble and sagacious counsellor. 
For his interest in our people and his fidelity to all 
engagements with them, he was named among 
the Indians the White Man's Friend. So at- 
tached was he to Mr. Kirkland that he expressed 
a desire, and received a promise from the family, 
that he should be buried near him ; that, as he 
said, " he might cling to the skirts of his garments, 
and go up with him at the great resurrection." 
He lived until 181G, and at his death, being then 
one hundred and ten vears old, his remains were 
conveyed to Mr. Kirkland's former homestead in 
Clinton, N. Y., where a funeral service was held in 
the church, and his body was then deposited as he 
had requested. The Christian minister and the 
Indian chieftain now rest side by side in the old 
fixmily orchard. 

Mr. Kirkland was employed as a missionary un- 
der the patronage of a board in Scotland, and also 
of one in Boston ; and he continued his services at 
the earnest request of the Indians themselves, af- 
ter the close of the war, until the year 1787, when 
he returned to his family at Stockbridge. His 
children, then six in number, had been there edu- 
cated under a most tender and faithful mother. 

My limits prevent a full narrative of the mis- 
sionary services of Mr. Kirkland. Suffice it to say 
that both his patriotism and philanthropy prompted 
him to continue his labors in this direction to the 
last of his life. He formed a plan of education, 
— to further which he visited Boston, it would ap- 



KIEKLAND FAMILY. 149 

pear, in 1791, to confer with the Board of Com- 
missioners, who had that matter in charge. He 
took with him an Indian chief, Onondago, and 
they visited Cambridge at Commencement, where 
he was to meet two of the Board, President 
Willard and Rev. Dr. Wigglesworth. The chief 
was invited on Sunday to attend divine services. 
He objected, however, saying : " An Indian is a 
strange sight here. If I go to church, the j^eople 
will look at me, and forget to worship the Great 
Spirit with the heart." He visited the library and 
philosophical apparatus, but said he was afraid his 
nation would not understand his account of the 
orrery, " the sun, moon, and star machine," as he 
called it ; " they would be afraid it was some magic 
work." He was delighted and surprised " that 
the wise men of Cambridge, with their knowledge 
.of everything about the works of the Great Spirit, 
could, nevertheless, turn their attention to the in- 
terests and happiness of poor Indians." 

After Mr. Kirkland retired from his mission- 
ary work he showed his native hospitality and 
regard for this hapless race, who would come, 
scores of them at a time frequently, to visit their 
old and beloved friend. " Bodily infirmities," said 
he, " have occasioned some interruptions ; but I 
think I have employed my time, exerted my tal- 
ents, and spared no sacrifice to make myself useful 
among these poor Indians, my old and very dear 
charge." 

Visiting the scene of this good man's labors at 



150 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Oneida, in the summer of 1826, 1 was exceedingly 
interested in spending an hour or two in one of 
those schools which, nearly a half-century before, 
Mr. Kirkland had done so much to establish. The 
bright faces of the little tawny boys and girls, 
their evident love of study, and their prompt and 
generally correct answers to their teachers' ques- 
tions, gave me new encouragement and hope for 
the civilization of this unfortunate race. 

Among the various plans and efforts for their 
advancement and elevation, I look with great con- 
fidence to the efforts of such men as Samuel Kirk- 
land. He deserves a higher encomium than he 
has 3^et received for his devotedness to this noble 
enterprise, begun in his early life, and continued 
with unabated zeal so long as his powers of mind 
and body permitted. 

Let us send men of his spirit and consecration to 
our Western territory, and let the Church and the 
State imite in giving them a generous sympathy 
and a just compensation, and we may feel assured 
that our own day and generation will yet do some- 
thing to wipe out the stain that still remains 
almost hopelessly, under the old methods of deal- 
ing with this degraded, yet not irredeemable, 
portion of our people. To the shield of law, gov- 
ernment, and social justice, we must add that best 
of all instruments and influences, a personal inter- 
course, pervaded with genuine sympathy and 
enforced by a persistent, humane. Christian treat- 
ment, and we shall no longer blush to read the 



KIRKLAND FAMILY. 151 

record of our dealings with the wronged, hunted, 
and down-trodden Indian. 

Jonisr Thornton Kirkland, the second son of 
Samuel Kirkland, was born at Little Falls, New 
York, August 17, 1770, and died in Boston, April 
26, 1810. He inherited a large share of the self- 
devoted patriotism of his father. Although but 
live years old when the Revolutionary War began, 
he must have been stirred to take an interest in 
what he saw and heard about it, — especially as 
his father, so early as July 18, 1775, was recom- 
mended by the Continental Congress as adapted 
to labor among the Indians and preserve their 
neutrality during the war, and at once engaged in 
that arduous and responsible work. 

From a mother of distinguished public spirit, 
energy, wisdom, and devotedness, he received the 
rudiments of a hioi;h intellectual and moral excel- 
lence. At the age of thirteen he was sent to 
Phillips Academy at Andover, where he acquitted 
himself creditably as a student, and by his exem- 
plary deportment. Entering Harvard College in 
1785, his course there was commendable both in 
scholarship and character. His patriotic spirit 
showed itself in 1787, when, at the early age of 
sixteen, suspending his studies, he joined a mili- 
tary corps for the suppression of the Shays Rebel- 
lion. We see here the germ of that interest in 
military tactics, and desire to encourage the forma- 
tion of military companies, which he felt in his sub- 
sequent life. He evidently regarded this form of 



152 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

service as important to the welf^ire of the re- 
public. In my college life during his presidency, 
there existed the Harvard Washington Corps, to 
which I belonged ; and I recollect the pleasure 
with which he welcomed the West Point Cadets, 
when they visited the University, and invited them 
to dine with us in our Commons Hall. 

After his graduation in 1789, he assisted in An- 
dover Academy for a year, and purposed to take 
up the law as his profession. He thought it 
" good for exerting," as he said, " the virtues of 
integrity and patriotism." He expresses his regrets 
that " public spirit is decaying," and " that hardi- 
hood of character which becomes republicans." 
But he finally decided to enter the ministry, and 
studied for some time, in his preparation for that 
office, under Rev. Dr. West of Stockbridge, and 
afterward completed his professional studies with 
Professor Tappan, in Cambridge. The influence of 
Dr. West, a prominent and devoted patriot of that 
period, must have done much to strengthen his 
naturally patriotic spirit. 

Dr. Kirkland had a strong historic taste, exhib- 
ited in many ways. He was elected in his early 
ministry a member of the Massachusetts Historical 
Society, was for some years one of its officers, and 
continued his membership for thirty-two years. 
He took a deep interest in the political condition 
of the country, and was an earnest member of the 
old Federal party. Some of his letters show the 
strength of his political convictions and feelings. 




I 



Q 
< 

Q 

_l 

o 

UJ 

I 



KIRKLAND FAMILY. 153 

February 10, 1809, he wrote to one who had said 
he thouo-ht the Democrats must be soon led into 
better courses by " the bright lamps of truth and 
honor shining all around them." " What good," 
he replied, "will they, [the lamps] do those 
who choose false lights, or who are moles that sun- 
shine cannot make see ? " Writing again, April 
12, 1810, to Josiah Quincy^ then a Representative 
in Congress, he says : " The administration will not 
dare to repeat their outrageous measures ; we are 
not to be made the quiet and harmless victims of 
their party passions, French politics, and Demo- 
cratic feelings." 

During his ministry in the Summer Street 
Church in Boston, he preached many sermons 
imbued with his decided views as a warm friend 
of his country, especially on occasions when 
the public mind was agitated by the political 
measures and the great national questions of the 
day. 

Both by inheritance and early education Dr. 
Kirkland felt a deep interest in the character and 
prospects of the Indians. His views on that subject 
are especially noteworthy, amid the controversies 
of the present day in regard to that hapless race. 
In a volume of the Massachusetts Historical Collec- 
tions, we have his answer to questions respecting 
the Indians, dated February, 1795, in which he dis- 
cusses, with brevity and force, their situation, ca- 
pacities and deserts. Three years previously he had 
resided in their neighborhood several months, and 



154 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

became acquainted with the Oneida Indians living 
a few miles south of Oneida Lake, with the Stock- 
brido-e Indians living- near the chief Oneida vil- 
lage, and with the Brothertown Indians, living 
eight miles south of the Stockbridge settlement. 
He thinks that, " as the whites advance toward the 
Indians, the latter become vicious, intemperate, 
sickly, and dispirited, and in general diminish in 
numbers." While they acknowledge the import- 
ance of industry and the arts to their happiness, 
respectability, and even existence, they will add, 
" Indians can't work." " The character of parents is 
transmitted to the children, who grow up in all 
that indolence, listlessness, and intemperance which 
their predecessors exemplified, lamented, and con- 
demned." Although Mr. Kirkland's view was at 
that time doubtless correct, some progress has since 
been made in their intellectual and moral culture, 
and their consequent civilization. 

No view of Dr. Kirkland's character is complete 
which omits to notice that, with his substantial 
qualities he united a rich vein of wit and humor. 
At social gatherings, laying aside the cares and 
constraints of office, his conversation was free, his 
tone genial, and his spirit at times mirthful. The 
subject of the writing of sermons coming up at 
a ministers' meeting, one and another spoke of the 
gifts of certain preachers. " Oh," said he, " there 
is C. B. will write a sermon in twenty minutes 
and make nothing of it." 

Dr. Kirkland resigned his office as President of 



KIRKLAND FAMILY. 155 

Harvard University, which he had held with great 
success for eighteen years, in 1828. After thir- 
teen years of retirement he died at Boston, April 
26, 1840, aged sixty-nine years, — having been 
honored, in every station he had filled, for his in- 
tellectual ability and culture, beloved by every one 
who knew his inexhaustible kindness, crowned with 
wisdom, purity, and self-sacrifice. Loved in life, he 
was lamented in death. 

Rev. Samuel Kirkland Lothrop was admitted 
a member of the Massachusetts Society of the 
Cincinnati in 1868, under the rule adopted by the 
General Society, May 1854. He is a grandson of 
Rev. Samuel Kirkland, whom I have already 
noticed as a chaplain in the Revolutionary War 
from 1776 until the end of the contest. He was 
a son of John H., and Jerusha (Kirkland) Lothrop. 
He was born in Utica, New York, October 13, 1804, 
and graduated at Harvard College in 1825. He 
was ordained over the Second Church in Dover, 
New Hampshire, February 18, 1829 ; and, June 18, 
1834, was installed pastor of the Brattle Street 
Church, Boston. He received the degree of D. D. 
from Harvard College in 1852 ; was a member of 
the Board of Overseers of Harvard College from 
1847 to 1854 ; is a member of the Massachusetts 
Historical Society, and the author of a " Life of 
Samuel Kirkland " in Sparks's American Biogra- 
phy, a "History of Brattle Street Church," 1851, 
and " Proceedinsrs of an Ecclesiastical Council in 
the case of Rev. John Pierpont," 1841, beside many 



156 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



articles in the reviews of the day, and sermons 
and addresses. Classmates in Harvard Divinity 
School from 1825 to 1828, we have enjoyed an un- 
interrupted friendship through our protracted 
lives. 




DOROTHY HANCOCK'S RECEPTION. 



CHAPTER X. 



ELLERY FAMILY. 



The names of William Elleey and William 
Ellery Channing are properly placed in consecu- 
tive chapters. The men they unite stood, in more 
than one aspect, in a kindred relation to each 
other. Believing firmly in the doctrine of hered- 
ity, I have placed them in juxtaposition. Many 
of the traits of Dr. Channing may be traced to 
germs found in his distinguished ancestor. The 
one was born early in the same century which pro- 
duced the other. They were alike in many of 
their qualities of character, in their deep and 
steadfjist patriotism, in their devotion to truth and 
to liberty, and their faith in and loyalty to that 
great Being, the God of nature, of reason, and of 
revelation. Dr. Channing, it is true, stood pre- 
eminent in his genius as a writer and speaker, as 
a man to be marked throiio-h centuries for his rare 
intellect and his moral and spiritual exaltation. 
Yet both had the same consecration to the loftiest 
principles of thought and life. 

William Ellery, whose earliest ancestor of whom 
we possess a record was William Ellery, freeman 



158 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

in 1672, and elected Representative of Gloucester 
in 1689, was born in Newport, Rhode Island, De- 
cember 22, 1727. He was the grandfather of Wil- 
liam Ellery Channing, who was born in the same 
place April 8, 1780, and lived near, and under the 
influence of, his grandparent. The great-grand- 
father of the latter, William Ellery, was born in 
Bristol, Rhode Island, October 31, 1701; and his 
life and character foreshadowed to a degree the 
eminence of his two descendants. He enjoyed, it 
is evident, the confidence of the community, as he 
was elected to the offices of judge, assistant, and 
deputy-governor. The inscription on his tomb- 
stone commemorates in Latin, not only his piety, 
and his many private virtues, but also his attach- 
ment to civil and religious liberty. 

William Ellery, his son, graduated at Harvard 
College in 1747, and was one of eight of the name 
who had graduated at New England colleges up to 
1828. Although engaged in mercantile pursuits 
at first, he was afterward a naval officer of the 
Colony. But, under the embarrassments of com- 
merce through the revenue and non-importation 
acts, he gave up this office " when," as he says, 
" there was little or nothino; for me to do but to 
join heart and hand with the Sons of Liberty." 

In 1770 he entered on the practice of law. 
He was soon asked to defend the New York Com- 
mittee of Inspection against a person who prose- 
cuted them for burnino: f»:oods brou(>:ht into the 
city in violation of the non-importation agreement. 



ELLERY FAMILY. 159 

" You may depend upon my exerting myself," lie 
says, " in your behalf in this suit, for the cause of 
liberty I always have had close at heart." In 
another letter he writes : " I rejoice that I had a 
share, however small it might be, in the repeal of 
the Stamp Act." This spirit was manifest in his 
Avhole character ; he was known for his good sense, 
his firmness and devotion to the public cause. 

He had been placed on important committees to 
procure the repeal of oppressive revenue acts, and 
was in harmony with the men in other colonies 
who were preparing the people for a separation 
from the mother country, if it could not be hon- 
orably avoided. 

His course inspired confidence in his fitness for a 
high public trust ; and in the memorable Continen- 
tal Congress of 1776 he appeared as a delegate from 
Rhode Island. He took his seat in that body May 
14, and his venerated colleague, Stephen Hopkins, 
and himself put their names, July 4, to the Decla- 
ration of Independence. His firm and beautiful 
signature contrasts strikingly with the tremulous 
character of his colleague's, whose limbs were 
shaken by age and illness, although his spirit was as 
intrepid and his perceptions were as clear as those 
of any around him. Mr. Ellery used, in his after 
life, to describe this scene with great animation. 
What must have been his sensations, knowing, as 
he did, that he then pledged himself to stand by 
an act so fearfully responsible that he might al- 
most feel the very hand of the King's officer upon 



160 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

him for his audacious treason. " I placed my- 
self," he tells us, " by the side of Charles Thom- 
son, the secretary, and observed the expression 
and manner of each member as he came up to 
sign the Declaration." But we can see that, while 
he looks on so intently, it is with a calm and firm 
spirit, with the feeling that these men are equal to 
the crisis. Many of them evidently recognized the 
act with awe, perhaps with uncertainty as to its 
effect, but none with fear. " I was determined," he 
often said, " to see how they all looked, as they 
signed what might be their death-warrant. Un- 
daunted resolution was displayed in every coun- 
tenance." 

He was naturally a quiet man, and strong in his 
attachments to home. " But," as he expressed him- 
self at the time, "I placed my obligations to 
uphold liberty as high as those that bound me to 
my wife and children." Although cheerful, face- 
tious, and no ascetic, Mr. Ellery was opposed to 
some of the popular recreations of those days. 
He says in one of his letters : — 

I wish, while we are encouraging the importation of 
the amusements, follies, and vices of Great Britain, 
America would encourage the introduction of her vir- 
tues, if she have any. . . . This I am very clear in, 
that exhibitions of players, rope-dancers, and mounte- 
banks have a more effectual tendency, by disembowel- 
ling the purse and enfeebling the mind, to sap the 
foundations of patriotism and public virtue, than any of 
the yet practised efforts of a despotic ministry. 



ELLEKY FAMILY. 161 

He was on a visit to his family when the follow- 
ing resolutions passed through Congress ; yet had 
he been in his seat, he would probably have given 
his vote for them : — 

October 12, 1778. Whereas: True Religion and 
good morals are the only solid foundations of public lib- 
erty and happiness, — Resolved: Ihat it be, and it 
hereby is, earnestly recommended to tlie several States 
to take the most effectual measures for the encourage- 
ment thereof, and for the suppression of theatrical 
entertainments, horse-racing, gaming, and sucli other 
diversions as are productive of idleness, dissipation, and 
a general depravity of principles and manners. 

October 16, 1778. Whereas : Frequenting play- 
houses and theatrical entertainments has a fatal tendency 
to divert the minds of the people from a due attention to 
the means necessary for the defence of their country and 
the preservation of their liberties, — Resolved : That 
every person holding an office under the United States, 
who shall act, promote, encourage, or attend such plays, 
shall be deemed unworthy to hold such office, and shall 
be accordingl}' dismissed. 

Enactments like these look strangely to our 
eyes, who find that, not only have members of 
Congress indulged in gaming quite freely, but 
taken special pleasure in witnessing horse-races ; 
and as to theatrical amusements, I believe that not 
a single President of the United States has de- 
prived himself of a seat, not to say a special seat, 
in the theatre. 

Mr. Ellery was in the habit of keeping a diary 

11 



102 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of his experiences on his journeys, which were on 
horseback, to and from Congress. Of one of these, 
in the autumn of 1777, he writes: — 

November 1. "We spent the Sabbath at Hartford. 
In the afternoon heard Mr. Strong preach a good ser- 
mon, and most melodious singing. The psahnody was 
performed in all its parts, and softness, more than loud- 
ness, seemed to be the aim of the performers. 

This was probably very rare singing for those 
davs. He writes at one time : — 

Connecticut has collected and ordered taxes to the 
amount of one hundred thousand pounds more than she 
had issued. Brave spirits ! 

One day he gives us an idea of the old Revolu- 
tionary style of travel by great men : — 

Novemher 7. On our way to the ferry (North 
River) we met President Hancock in a sulky, escorted 
by one of his secretaries, and two or three other gentle- 
men, and one light-horseman. This event surprised us, 
as it seemed inadequate to the purpose either of defence 
or parade. But our surprise was not of long continu- 
ance ; for we had not rode far before we met six or 
eight light-horsemen on the canter ; and just as we 
reached the ferry, a boat arrived with as many more. 
These, with the one light-horseman and the gentlemen 
before mentioned, made up the escort of Mr, President 
Hancock. Who would not be a great man ? I verily 
believe that the President, as he passes through the 
country thus escorted, feels a more triumphant satis- 



ELLEEY FAMILY. 163 

faction than the Colonel of the Queen's Regiment of 
Dragoons, attended by his whole army, and an escort of 
a thousand militia. 

November 13. Met Mr. Samuel Adams and Mr. 
Jolm Adams, about nine miles from Leven's, and hard 
by a tavern. They turned back to the inn, where we 
chatted, and ate bread and butter together. They were, 
to my great sorrow, bound home. I could not but la- 
ment that Congress should be without their counsels, 
and myself without their conversation. 

Mr. Ellery won public confidence by his disin- 
terested devotion to the country. His property at 
Newport was injured hy the war, and even his own 
house burned to the ground. Still he adhered to 
the Congress, where he believed he could be, and 
was, useful, and left his possessions at home to the 
care of his fellow-citizens. His conduct was 
always straightforward and independent, — earnest, 
yet wise and prudent. He "was a man to be 
trusted at all times, — honest, thoroughly good-prin- 
cipled, and therefore respected even by those who 
did not agree with him in opinions and measures. 
Throughout the war he had great influence, and 
after its close, in 1784, he was placed on tlie im- 
portant committee appointed to ratify the articles 
of peace with Great Britain. 

He had a Christian abhorrence of war ; and still, 
while his country was involved in this calamity, he 
stood by her. In October, 1783, he was chairman 
of a committee of Congress who reported resolu- 
tions in honor of his fellow-citizen General Greene, 



164 KEMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and presenting to him two fieldpieces taken from 
the British army, in the southern department, as a 
testimonial to his wisdom, hravery, and mihtary 
skill in that service. And in 1813, when another 
fellow-citizen had achieved a memorable naval 
victor}^ Mr. Ellery joined in the universal expres- 
sion, saying : " Commodore Perry's exploit on 
Lake Erie is glorious." 

No man could have been more modest than he 
in the appreciation of liis own services to the 
country. '' I was," said he late in life, " a member 
of Congress when Chatham eulogized that body, 
and possibly I might have been vain enough to 
have snuffed up part of that incense as my share ; 
but the more I have known of mvself, the more 
reason I have had not to think too highly of my- 
self. Humility, rather than pride, becomes such 
creatures as we are." 

His love of truth proved him a legitimate an- 
cestor of the Rev. Dr. Channing. They both were 
slow in arriving at convictions on important sub- 
jects, and weighed justly the opinions of those 
from whom they finally differed. Both were dis- 
tinguished for candor, fairness, and honesty in their 
views of all questions and the results v»diich they 
reached. Mr. Ellery was indignant at the course 
of those who would lord it over others in matters 
religious or political. He speaks thus of reading 
two large volumes of sermons by Isaac Barrow : " I 
do not regret the time I spent in reading them, 
and I am about to read Calvin's Institutes. I think 



ELLERY FAMILY. 165 

I can read books of theology without being over- 
influenced by names. What appears to me to be 
right I shall embrace, and reject the chaff and 
stubble." He gave himself loyally to religious 
truth. Said he : — 

I believe if party names were entirely disused, there 
would be more harmony among Christians. I heard a 
sensible minister of the Gospel inveigh, in a sermon 
against the Hopkinsians, as he called them, in such a 
bitter manner, that I dare say one half, at least, of his 
congregation would have avoided any writing of Dr. 
Hopkins as they would a most venomous serpent. And 
yet I don't in the least doubt that this same minister, if 
he had heard the first Episcopal cleigyman in Newport 
declare, from the pulpit, that the breath of a Dissenter 
was infectious, would have severely reprobated it. 

The tone and spirit of this language descended 
plenteously on his broad-hearted grandson. 

Mr. Ellery found it difficult, however, to carry 
the same charity uniformly into his political senti- 
ments. He was a Whig of the Revolution, and a 
Federalist of Washington's day; and, unlike the 
Democrats of that period, he held Napoleon Bona- 
parte in the utmost abhorrence. He feared that 
he might vanquish the Russians, and get possession 
of St. Petersburg. He writes : — 

I wish I may be mistaken, and that Heaven may put 
a hook in his jaws and draw him back, and overthrow 
his immense army. How long this dreadful scourge 
will be suffered to lay waste and destroy, the Lord only 
knoweth. It is a matter of consolation, and even of joy, 
that the Lord reigneth. 



166 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

In the midst of the convulsions at home and 
abroad, and all the public dangers and sufierings, 
this was steadfastly his final word : " The Lord 
reigneth." It will be recollected that his grand- 
son inherited his strong feeling in regard to Napo- 
leon. In his essay on that man he says : " Such a 
person should be caged like a wild beast." 

Mr. Ellery, although quiet and undemonstrative, 
was a man of no ordinary powers and gifts. lie 
did much for his country in her hour of greatest 
need ; but his signal work, after all, was upon his 
own character. This was not the growth of origi- 
nal qualities, easily directed, and prone only to 
love, purity, and all moral excellence. He was 
not gentle from an inborn meekness, nor good 
from the force of outward circumstances. On the 
contrary he owed everything, we can see, to per- 
sonal discipline, self-inspection, and self-control. 
This was to be noticed in his first attempts to speak 
in Congress. He used to say that it seemed to him 
when he rose, that he knew nothing, and he 
sat down very little satisfied with himself. But he 
resolved not to give way a moment to weakness or 
awkwardness ; and in time " he became," as others 
testified, " not indeed an orator, but an easy and 
wseful debater, and had always something to say to 
the purpose." 

When his public life was over, he lived on, still 
interested in his country, regular and simple in his 
habits, fond of reading, and attractive in conversa- 
tion, — carried along from year to year, with little 



ELLEEY FAMILY. 167 

loss of bodily vigor, and none of spirits, memory, 
or force of mind. His letters, written in the clear 
and firm hand of his early days, were full of affec- 
tion, humor, and kind regard to others. In his 
eighty-fourth year he writes thus of the blessings 
reserved for that period of Hfe : — 

I do not think, notwithstanding the afflictive dispen- 
sations of Providence in the loss of friends, and the dis- 
eases and irritabihty to which old age is frequently 
subject, that it is so undesirable a condition as some 
have represented it to be. As to employment of time, I 
have experienced such instruction and delight in read- 
ing and investigating truth, that I mean, as long as my 
mind is capable of bearing it, to keep it in exercise, and 
doze as little as possible. There are those who think 
that the miseries of life are greater than its joys. I am 
not one of them, especially when I consider the numer- 
ous objects contrived and adapted to please our senses 
and our appetites, the discoveries which natural phi- 
losophy has made and is making, the improvements in 
arts and advance in science and in the philosophy of 
the mind, the profit and delight which attend reading 
and conversation, and compare the sources of pleasure, 
which kind Providence has furnished to entertain and 
instruct us in our pilgrimage, with the miseries of life. 
It appears to me that the latter are but just enough 
to constitute this a probationary state, — to prepare us, 
by the exercise of virtue and piety, for a mode of exist- 
ence in which they who act according to the will of 
God will enjoy uncontrasted and eternal felicity. 

The year before his death he writes again : — 

There is no fence or guard that can secure us against 
the infirmities of old age. They must come, and it is 



168 



EEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 



our duty to bear them with patience, and not murmur 
at the condition on which long life is held. 

February 10, 1820, liis clergyman was with him 
an hour. They spoke of the prospect of death, 
and he said it was an event which for two years he 
had been fully prepared for, and even desired. 
The next day his doctor said to him, " Your pulse 
beats very well." " Charmiugly," he replied. On 
another day he said that he knew he was dying ; 
and in two hours he passed away, February 15, 
1820, in the ninety-third year of his age. Happy 
in his life, liappy in his departure from it, he was 
a genuine patriot, a true man, " an honest man, 
the noblest work of God." 




BUNKER HILL MONUMENT. 



CHAPTER XL 

WILLIAM ELLERY CHAINING. 

The centennial exercises in 1880, commemorat- 
ing the birth of Dr. Channing, gave gleams from 
the inner life of that great man of intense inter- 
est. We had so long been quickened and elevated 
by his varied public productions that we earnestly 
desired to know more of his private thought and 
experience. It is much to see anything of the 
hidden motions of a spirit so sensitive to all that 
is pure, noble, broad, and tender in this our com- 
mon life. We instinctively catch with eagerness 
every word that reveals to us the man himself. 

This popular interest is enhanced in those who 
had a personal knowledge of Dr. Channing. Can 
we who knew him ever forget that sHght frame 
o-lidino; throns-h the street in midwinter, muffled so 
closely against the air ? We are not surprised that 
he regarded himself for long years as having but 
the slenderest hold npon life. No wonder we 
sometimes heard that from day to day it required 
the tenderest nursing to keep the soul in the body. 
See him on Sunday as he moves up the pulpit 



170 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

stairs. His debility fills you with sympathy and 
anxiet3^ He sinks exhausted on his seat; and, 
when he rises to give out a hymn, he is too weak, 
you fear, for the service. The single lock of his soft 
brown hair, as it falls across his forehead, contrasts 
strongly with its transparent paleness, and his thin, 
hollow cheeks are covered with pain-caused lines. 
The first tones of his voice, though feeble and low, 
are reverential, and stir the hushed congregation 
to devoutness. After a hymn, read with more 
strength, is sung, he rises for the sermon. A few 
sentences are uttered, when you feel that, out of all 
this w^eakness, there are coming words of a rare 
energy. His full eye kindles, his voice gains 
strength, and, forgetting his delicate figure, you 
are borne on, with increasing sway, assured that 
this man is a power to move, thrill, and inspire. 

Perhaps there was never a more striking demon- 
stration of the power of the human will over the 
body than in Dr. Channing. I met him often at 
councils for ordination and elsewhere ; and his 
face usually bore the marks of his habitual intro- 
version. It was his misfortune to be a bad sleeper; 
and we could read in the fallen cheek, and dis- 
coloring about the eye, proofs that often, in the 
midnight hour, he was a victim of wakefulness, 
that " tjrant of the burning brain." His intense 
thoughtfulness and strong concentration, and habit 
of rapid and fervid composition — to be afterward 
sedulously corrected — preyed at times fearfully 
on his delicate organization. He had, it is true, 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 171 

the advantage on one side, of a vigorous ancestry. 
His grandfather, William Ellery, lived to the age 
of ninety-three, and two of his own brothers 
reached a remarkable old age. We should give 
him credit, too, for great care of himself. His 
wise words may well be heeded by our students 
and writers : " The only true specifics for keeping 
health are exercise, temperance (in the large sense 
of the word), and cheerfulness." 

He was indebted not only to his maternal grand- 
parent, but to his own father, for germs of per- 
sonal worth. William Channing, the father, was 
a business man of high integrity, a fit companion 
of Lucy Ellery, the mother. Both were faithful 
and friendly to all, self-reliant and of command- 
ing qualities, alike energetic and benignant. The 
son inherited, on each side, a character conscien- 
tious, truthful, tender, elastic under trouble, and 
cheerful to the last. 

The union of apparently conflicting elements in 
Dr. Channing was most striking. He combined 
great physical weakness with a still greater mental 
energy. In private conversation he seemed at 
times feeble, suffering, and dependent; his voice 
was low and his utterance difficult. One who did 
not notice his eyes would often think him languid, 
perhaps destitute of force. Being human, he, of 
course, shared the imperfection of our nature. Of 
a very ardent and excitable temperament, he was 
yet a model of self-control. I remember seeing 
but a single instance of the slightest loss of this 



172 REMmiSCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

power. At the council before the ordination of 
one of our young ministers he was strenuous for a 
written certificate of church-membership from the 
candidate. And as, for a strong reason, that docu- 
ment could not be presented to the council, he 
was unwilling to give his vote for the ordination 
to proceed. The discussion on this point elicited 
some feeling on his part. But however any of us 
miglit, at the present day, dissent from his position, 
this incident gave proof of his thorough conscien- 
tiousness, and that to an exalted spirituality he 
united a firm adherence to what he regarded as 
important ecclesiastical forms. 

His was a truly liberal mind. I often saw him 
at conventions. I remember one of what w^as 
popularly called Come-outers, in Chardon Street 
Chapel, Boston, which he attended. He was fond 
of being present whenever any new light was 
even slightly promised. Some might have said he 
occasionally compromised his dignity in this way. 
But not so ; you saw that he was in search of 
truth, and w^ould recognize it wherever found. 

Like his grandfather Ellery, he w^as intensely 
opposed to slavery. After the murder of Rev. 
Elijah Lovejoy at Alton, Illinois, he attended a 
meeting of indignant remonstrance in Faneuil 
Hall, December 8, 1837. Public opinion was then 
exceedingly sensitive on the agitation of the slav- 
ery question. But Channing did not fear its 
rebuke. Others might blench, but he remained 
firm. I see him, as I did that day — the bright 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNIXG. 173 

rays of a winter sun shining on his noble head, — 
as he stood upon that pLitform. He attempts to 
speak amid hisses and jeers, and at length ex- 
presses his amazement that every man present 
does not join in a denunciation of this desecra- 
tion of God's image, and insult to human justice. 
Calm himself, with a fearless voice and manner, he 
makes a solemn appeal to every lover of right, 
freedom, and justice, and then offers a series of 
resolutions, setting forth a protest against this 
trampling on a free press, and this deed of crime 
and bloodshed before the God of justice and under 
a government of equal laws. No wonder young 
Phillips — prompted by words spoken by another, 
that would justify the murderers at Alton and 
place them side by side with Otis and Hancock, 
with Adams and Quincy — rose and said he thought 
" those pictured lips," pointing to their portraits in 
the hall, " would have broken into voice to rebuke 
the recreant American, the slanderer of the dead." 
It seemed to me one of those occasions which 
carry us back to the very days and deeds of the 
noble fathers of the Revolution. Channinyr's moral 
courage was worthy a protomartyr. Then, as 
always in relation to all social wrongs, he not 
only felt an unMtering interest, but took a pub- 
lic and bold stand against them. 

He was, to a large extent, independent of criti- 
cism. I often saw him at the Boston Athenseum, 
and sometimes with a foreign review in his hand ; 
but, it has been said, and, I have good reason to 



174 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

believe with truth, that he seldom read criticisms 
on his own publications : perhaps not those which 
were commendatorj^ ; certainly not, as in the case 
of the "Edinburgh lieview," — which once published 
a severe and caustic article on his thouo-lits and 
style, — those written against him. He evidently 
apprehended it might tempt him to shrink from 
the utterance of his own views fully and fear- 
lessly on all points social, religious, or political. 
He said once, '" he only regretted criticisms which 
would take from the power of his preaching." 

Father Taylor once said to me, comparing 
him with one of our rare men who seemed at 
times somewhat cynical, " Dr. Channing is a sweet 
spirit." Reason and sensibility were never di- 
vorced either in his works or his character. To an 
unquestioned moral courage he joined a singular 
tenderness of spirit. He who was dauntless in 
every point of duty, and heroic in his public utter- 
ances, was as sensitive as a little child in private 
intercourse. 

So earnest was he in conversation on certain 
topics, that I sometimes felt he must love disputa- 
tion. There, again, he reminded one of his distin- 
guished ancestor. He would question, and take 
the opposite side, and appear at times a Pyrrhonist, 
so full was he of doubts. But, all the while, his 
aim was to elicit the truth, and the whole truth, 
on the subject before him. The inquirer — seem- 
ingly almost the denier — in private, would, in this 
way, at last reach conclusions which, in his public 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 175 

discourses, we heard him maintain with moral 
enthusiasm. 

His tender tribute to his personal friend, Rev. 
Charles Follen, LL. D. is an unconscious portrait- 
ure, in many of its touching passages, of his own 
character. To one privileged personally to know 
them both, sentence after sentence is a response of 
two noble spirits, who, we saw, must have drunk 
sorrows and joys from a common cup. Dr. Follen 
filled the pulpit of the Federal Street Church for 
a time, during the illness and absence abroad of its 
colleague pastor. Although not in full sympathy 
with Garrison, he was a decided abolitionist. He 
did not hesitate indeed to show this both in his 
writings on this subject and in his speech, public 
as well as private. Dr. Channing was in perfect 
sympathy with him, and he desired him as his 
temporary associate in the pulpit. He expressed 
this wish, it was said, to the standing committee 
of his society. " By no means," one of its promi- 
nent members is reported to have replied, — " by no 
means can we consent to have our pulpit occupied 
by an abolitionist." This account illustrates re- 
markably the state of public opinion at that time 
on the antislavery question, and shows the mar- 
vellous revolution produced in it by the subsequent 
emancipation of the colored race on our soil. 

The prophetic spirit of Dr. Channing, every- 
where discernible, is seen in one of his letters to 
Miss Aiken, in which he replies to a suggestion of 
hers in regard to American Slavery. He saw, in 



176 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the power of Christian principles, a force that he 
felt confident must ultimately lead to its abolition. 
Referring to influences of a milder nature he 
says: "To effect great reforms, convulsions are 
sometimes necessary. If men resist a beneficent 
innovation, the same awful Providence which has 
in times past shaken the social state will again 
heave it from its foundations." But little did he, 
apparently, at that time imagine the end of Amer- 
ican Slavery could be so near as it was. 

One could not spend an hour with Channing 
without being struck with his singular modesty. 
So brave in public and fearless in uttering his 
opinions, in conversation he seemed to take always 
the attitude of an humble inquirer. Instead of 
protruding his own views, he studiously sought 
those of others. I have no doubt, from his air and 
manner, that he often gained quite as much, in 
preparing his lectures and discourses, from conver- 
sation as from books. 

A passage in one of his letters is important as 
serving to correct an erroneous impression, held by 
some persons during his life, m regard to his esti- 
mate of himself and his own works. A friend 
once spoke to me of his undue self-esteem, and re- 
ferred to his very frequent use of the pronoun in 
the firs-t person singular. But this judgment was 
singularly unjust, as is made manifest in many 
ways. Why should not one spejd^ of himself 
simply and naturally as he would of another ? 
There is often more self-consciousness and real 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 177 

egotism in a studied avoiding to speak of self, 
than in a direct utterance of what is felt and 
thought. In one's private letters he is quite sure 
to give liis true opinion of himself. And how 
is it in the case before us ? " You ask," he says 
to Miss Aiken, " about my great work. I have 
nothing great about me but the undeveloped 
within." In another place lie writes self-distrust- 
fully, yet, as we now see, without good reason : 
"Pardon my egotism; I see far higher reputations 
fading away, and who am I that I should live ? 
Providence is to raise up higher lights. . . . What 
better can we ask ? " These words recall some of 
his grandftxther Ellery's, almost identical with 
them. 

His health was always delicate; and sometimes 
rendered his voice feeble. I recollect a Sunday 
when many of his hearers, having come from a 
chilling atmosphere, gave way to a sympathetic 
coughing. The preacher was manifestly disturbed. 
He at length paused, and requested that an effort 
should be made to suppress coughing, as he found 
it difficult to be heard. The effect was magical. 
An almost profound silence followed, and we had a 
new lesson of man's power over what are often 
considered wholly involuntary movements. 

Dr. Channing, singularly just to other persons, 
was tried by the practice, not uncommon in his 
church, of many coming to the door and waiting 
until they saw whether he was to preach or an- 
other, when some, if disappointed, would turn 

12 



178 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

away and leave. Perhaps to obviate this disre- 
spect to his devoted colleague, he arranged to 
preach on some Sundays in the morning and on 
others in the afternoon. A friend once asked 
him, probably thinking it a compliment, " Are 
yon to preach to-morrow, sir ? " The quick 
reply was, " There will be divine service in the 
church." 

Whenever able he attended church as a hearer. 
It was no slight ordeal to a young minister to 
preach with this great man sitting at his side in 
the pulpit. I recollect his kindness, after listening 
to a sermon which seemed to the speaker unworthy 
so distinguished a listener, — with what friendly 
words, while he approved of the general treatment 
of the subject, he criticised a fault of the discourse 
in not qualifying one of its parts which made, he 
thought, not too great account of consciousness 
as an evidence of the truth of Christianity, but too 
little of the evidence of miracles. He was to 
preach himself in the afternoon, and said to me, 
" I wish I could invite you home to dine with me, 
but I am obliged to-day to give up conversation, 
and spare all my strength for the service this after- 
noon." Within a few months afterward, spending 
an hour or two with him and his family, what I 
had lost on that Sunday was more than made up 
by his cordial reception, and the charm, freedom, 
and simplicity of his whole conversation and 
manner. 

Usually he began his discourse in a calm and 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 179 

quiet manner, and as he proceeded, gained in 
power, and at the conclusion flamed up with great 
zeal and fervor. But on one occasion, when his 
subject was Immortality, he entered at once, in a 
most eloquent tone, upon his favorite theme. It 
was like the launching of a noble vessel - from its 
ways. His spirit kindled with the first sentence, 
and was borne on from topic to topic, each a fresh 
inspiration ; and one felt as if lifted to a height of 
transfiguration, where it would be good to abide 
evermore. I think his readers will agree that one 
of the most strikino- of his discourses is that on 
the Future Life. No human production, per- 
haps, has given clearer views than this of the 
great unseen world ; none privileged to hear him 
on this high topic but must remember the thrill- 
ing tones in which he spoke of it. 

Channing reasoned cogently on this subject ; 
His sermon on Immortality is a compact argument. 
It is, as was said of another production, " logic on 
fire." That on the Future Life is more intuitional. 
We seem, as we read it, to see heaven opened be- 
fore us. I recollect being told of an occasion 
when Dr. Channing officiated at a funeral, and 
made it throughout his prayer a theme of thanks- 
giving that the pure spirit had entered its heavenly 
home. All tears seemed to be dried up in the 
bright sunshine of the everlasting world. His 
bosom friend. Dr. Tuckerman, who was present, 
congratulated him on lifting the mourning circle 
out of their griefs into the calm and joyous certain- 



180 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMOKIALS. 

ties of the celestial sphere. Often did one rise, as 
he heard him utter the word Iimnortality in 
the pulpit, into the same serene faith. 

The impression he produced, when preaching, 
was that of a most exalted character. I can 
readily believe what was said of his influence at 
some such moments, even upon children. A little 
girl, meeting him at her home, and drawn toward 
him by his attractive manner in private, at length 
touched him, and said : " You are a man ; I see you 
every Sunday in God's house, and 1 thought you 
was God." 

Channing was a patriot, early and late, constant 
in his love, his labors, and his prayers for his own 
land. When he wrote, " I wish to see patriotism 
exalted into a moral principle," he gave the key- 
note of his own character, no less than the refrain 
of his national discourses. His Fast sermon dur- 
ing the War of 1812 has the ring of his maternal 
ancestor ; and those wise and eloquent papers of 
his in the " Christian Examiner," on the perils of 
the Union, remind us strongly of the tones of that 
venerated man. 

W^hateyer subject Channing takes up, if his 
treatment of it begins with our own country, it soon 
spreads out to other lands, and includes the entire 
race. At a moment when England and America 
w^ere threatened Avitli war, he gave a lecture on 
that curse of humanity, and said in the preface to 
it : " The relations between these countries cannot 
become hostile without deranging, more or less. 



WILLIAM ELLERY CIIANNING. 181 

the intercourse of all other communities, and 
brino-ino; evils on the whole Christian world." 

What I have said of the breadth of Channing-'s 
views in his public utterances was true also of his 
private conversation. In those gatherings of 
friends and acquaintances when topics of social in- 
terest were discussed, however wise the remarks of 
others, he usually had a wisdom beyond theirs. 
Men of large thought and liberal culture, and from 
various callings and professions, might be present 
and say excellent things. And yet you knew well, 
by the doubts he suggested, the limits he set up, his 
hard questions, his sharp criticisms, and bold ob- 
jections, that he saw depths of the subject below 
your own best vision. He might at last come to ac- 
quiesce in your opinion ; but it would be only after 
a delay, and after a firmness of opposition which, 
gentle and kind as his manner always was, 
promised anything but a final assent to your 
view. 

Dr. Channing, instead of being narrowed, as 
many of us are, by advancing years, was less and 
less limited in his views and feelings. In that 
noble " Discourse on the Church," preached the 
very year before his death, we see how he spurns 
all ecclesiastical fetters and every mere denomi- 
national barrier. The same year he writes : " I 
speak as an independent Christian. ... I can en- 
dure no sectarian bonds." Indeed one cannot but 
think that, had he and his grandparent Ellery lived 
to our day, both would rejoice in the growing indi- 



182 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

cations of harmony and fellowship between the 
various liberal portions of long-separated Christian 
bodies. 

Such men as Channing do not grow old with the 
lapse of years. We who saw him, on and on, from 
his early manhood to his closing days, remember 
how little he changed, even in personal appear- 
ance, with the approach of age. It seems to me, 
as I recall him in his meridian, that he showed 
more the effects of toil and time, and his face was 
more pallid and careworn, than in the last years of 
his life. At that time his countenance grew" more 
radiant, and he manifestly felt more at ease, and 
enjoyed this world as he never had before. It is 
interesting to read his own language on this sub- 
ject : " I enjoy fine weather as I did not in my 
vouth. I have lost one ear, but was never so 
alive to sweet sounds. I am waking up more to 
the mysteries of harmony." That last summer, 
and when nearly sixty-three years old, amid the 
exquisite beauties of Lenox, he writes : " Here 
am I finding life a sweet cup as I approach what 
we call its dregs." 

"Always young for liberty," he said of himself 
on one occasion, and we are not surprised at the 
glow of youthfulness in one so elastic and hopeful 
as Dr. Channing. Gloom had no resting-place in 
his nature. With his views of the all-embracino; 
goodness of God, how could he droop and despond 
under his beneficent Providence ? Lookino:, as 
he did, upon man as the child of a Heavenly 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 183 

Father, and the whole race as embosomed in his 
love, the future was to him full of cheering antici- 
pations. I might quote pages from the writings of 
his hopeful ancestor, William Ellery, of the same 
bright glow. In the high and broad development 
of his own character, and his conscious connection 
with the entire race, he could not but see tokens 
of its glorious capabilities and progress. 

And here we reach the ground we have for be- 
lieving that the works of Channing are to have a 
permanent place in the history of humanity. 
Their free spirit, the growth largely of our na- 
tional institutions, makes us sure that their circu- 
lation is not to be limited to his own country, but 
will extend as far as the English language is 
spoken and written ; and help forward everywhere 
the great cause of national liberty and independ- 
ence. Nor Avill they stop here. Already they 
have been, wholly or in part, translated in France, 
Germany, Hungary, Italy, and even in Iceland, 
into their several languages. Many forces will 
contribute to their diffusion and perpetuity. 

Writings which cover so wide a range of topics 
are suited to meet the wants of every people and 
every age. It is rare to find in so large a field so 
very little of a merely local or temj^orary interest. 
As I write, I can see the eftect of his works on the 
great International Association which is aiming 
to establish a code of laws binding on the com- 
monwealth of nations, by which their disputes 
shall be settled, like the differences of individuals, 



184 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

not by the sword, but by arbitration. Let Chan- 
nino::'s abhorrence of war and his inculcations of 
righteousness and peace prevail, and then, through 
his and other Christian and pacific influences, the 
world will at last exhibit — what he yearned and 
prayed and labored, to accomplish — universal 
peace. 

The impression Dr. Channing produced person- 
ally seemed to me not so much that of genius as 
of rare goodness. The corner-stone of his charac- 
ter was, I think, conscientiousness. He appeared 
not alone to do, but to think and feel, only what 
he regarded as right. With all his power and 
culture, and his mental superiority, he says, as he 
draws near the close of his life, "I am less and 
less a worshipper of mere intellect." The moral 
and spiritual nature, common to the lofty and 
the lowly alike, and its largest development, he 
more and more prized as the true end of man's 
existence. 

It was fittino; that he should close his life in the 
way he did. My thoughts had often reverted to 
the scene where he passed away, and a few years 
since I had the privilege of a temporar}^ stay in 
that vicinity. A friend gave me, while at Lenox, 
the details of his visit at that place. Amid the ex- 
quisite scenery of Berkshire, and the refined, genial 
society he met there. Dr. Channing passed, as he 
himself said, some of the happiest hours of his life. 
In a building which we daily passed, he gave his 
grand address on the anniversary of emancipation 



WILLIAM ELLERY CHANNING. 185 

in the British West Indies; but the effort of de- 
hverj overtasked his feeble frame, and I was told 
that after it he was but just able, with two friends 
for his support, to walk to a carriage. I went to 
the house at which he stopped, and saw the very 
window out of which he looked at the sunset 
hours. Unhappily, beyond question from imperfect 
drainage, it was on that spot he contracted the 
typhoidal disease which terminated his life. It 
seemed sad that such must be his lot, yet, judged 
by his glorious work, he had lived long ; and there- 
fore when, on that eventful October day, the 
tidino-s came that " the orolden bowl was broken," 
while we shed some natural tears, we gave thanks 
to Him who had placed such power within that 
mortal frame, and permitted it to be exercised up 
to Avhat is termed " the grand climacteric of man's 
life." We rejoiced that he had met the last call 
with an unftiltering trust, and entered those ever- 
lasting gates through Avhich he had so long gazed, 
and for which his high inspirations had trained 
many a grateful spirit. 

In this ao-e of commemorations, when in all civil- 
ized countries monuments are erected to the de- 
parted great, I think this man, who w\as cosmopoli- 
tan in spirit, should have memorials set up in 
other lands to honor his name. It especially be- 
comes this nation — the principles of whose gov- 
ernment and institutions he lived, labored, and 
died to support — to build at its Capitol a monu- 
ment that will do something to perpetuate the 
name and influence of William Ellery Channing. 



CHAPTER XII. 

SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 

This association, formed by officers of the Revo- 
lution, for patriotic and social purposes, and to be 
continued through their posterity, has left records 
most valuable as materials for biographies of men 
associated with that eventful period. It brings 
before us, in its original members, a band of men, 
taken together, of rare militarj^ skill, science, and 
practical ability, and of high personal character. 
It includes not only American officers, but those of 
our generous allies, France, Prussia, Germany, with 
a few rare men of other nations of Europe, who 
sent us many commanders, and not a few in the 
ranks, who rendered noble service in their labors, 
sacrifices, and sufferings for the rights of the Amer- 
ican Colonies, and the final emancipation and inde- 
pendence of these United States. 

This society at once took a firm hold of the Am- 
erican people. When Lafayette revisited this coun- 
try in 1824 he was received with enthusiasm and 
affection by all classes of the people. A public 
dinner was given him, at which the second toast, 
after "The United States," was, "General Wash- 
ington." This was coupled with " The Cincinnati," 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 187 

showing that this body stood among the foremost 
in the love and honor of the nation. This latter 
sentiment was appropriately and immediately fol- 
lowed by, " The asserters and supporters of the 
rights of mankind throughout the world." The 
Cincinnati, thus early imbedded in the memories 
and grateful recognitions of the country, should 
hold its just place, as it did to the last with Wash- 
ington ; and its name, and those of all who have 
stood on its rolls, should remain through every 
generation of a people who owe so large a debt to 
the services of its members. 

It adds to our interest in this society to know 

that the decoration of Cincinnatus, w^orn by Wash- 
ington, was presented, in 1824, to Lafayette, with 
a request that it be afterward given to his second 
grandson, Edmond Lafayette. This decoration 
bears the date "A. D. 1783." It is of elegant 
materials and workmanship, supported by a sky- 
blue, watered silk " riband," edged with a white 
piping, in token of the alliance between France 
and America, and held together by a gold clasp. 
The " riband " used by Washington is half worn 
out. 

Washington, in a letter to the Count de Rocham- 
beau, dated October 29, 1783, speaks thus of the 
formation of the Society of the Cincinnati : — 

Sir, — The officers of the American army, in order to 
perpetuate that mutual friendship which they contracted 
in the hour of common danger and distress, and for 
other purposes which are mentioned in the instrument 



188 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of the association, have united together in a society of 
friends under the name of Cincinnati ; and having hon- 
ored me with the office of president, it becomes a very 
agreeable part of my duty to inform you that the so- 
ciety have done themselves the honor to consider you, 
and the generals and officers of the army which you 
commanded in America, as members of the Society. . . 
As soon as the diploma is made out, I will have the 
honor to transmit it to you. 

The Society was at once placed on a firm founda- 
tion in France. The order met the approbation of 
the king, and a list of members was prejDared com- 
prising thirty-three officers. The whole number of 
the Society soon put on record was seventy-nine. 

Lafayette was received at Boston, on his visit to 
this country in 1824, by the members of the Cin- 
cinnati, his brothers-in-arms, who extolled him, 
not only as the ally and savior of America, but 
as one who had '' secured liberty to millions of 
freemen." At Staten Island his military associates 
in this Society, some of them then eighty years 
old, embraced him with tears of joy. Everywhere 
he had similar cordial greetings; and their spirit 
was transmitted to sons and grandsons of this 
order, at the recent reception, October 19, 1881, 
of our French and German i>:uests, numberino; in 
all twenty-seven persons, at the centennial celebror 
tion of the American victory at Yorktown. It gave 
me special pleasure to meet the Marquis de Rocham- 
beau and his associates in the Massachusetts Sen- 
ate Chamber on their recent visit to Boston, and to 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 189 

think of the devoted ancestors civil or military of 
those men, and of the many honors which their strik- 
ing badges showed they had received from distin- 
guished societies, both in France and Germany. 

At the head of the Society of the Cincinnati we 
place George Washington. For his pre-eminent 
rank, in both military and civil services which he 
rendered to his country, this is his uncontested 
position. 

His name takes us back to the meeting of the 
Continental Congress at Carpenter's Hall, Phila- 
delphia, September, 1774 — a momentous occasion. 
Gathered from all the States, it was an illustrious 
array of patriotic men. Conspicuous among them 
was Samuel Adams, the master-spirit of the day. 
Beside him sat his younger kinsman, John Adams, 
bold, ingenious, determined, eloquent, a born 
leader of men. But look yonder ! There sits a 
man only forty years old, in the prime of his en- 
ergies. Others speak, but he is silent ; and yet in 
his marked face, and especially in his firm mouth, 
there is an air of power and command that makes 
him a noteworthy man. His colleagues turn to- 
ward him with deference. So modest, he occupies 
a back seat, and yet he is the foremost man in the 
confidence of the assembly. This is the individual 
who has said in the Virginia Convention : " I will 
raise a thousand men, subsist them at my own ex- 
pense, and march with them at their head for the 
relief of Boston." This can be no other than 
George Washington. 



190 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

We are struck, early and late in his career, by 
the tenacity of his friendships. Not in his public 
offices and relations alone, but in his associa- 
tions of a comparatively private nature with his 
companions in arms, and those in every subordi- 
nate civil capacity, it is most interesting to observe 
the depth of his affections. No man was ever sur- 
rounded by truer friends ; and, as we often find in 
such cases, none had rivals so jealous and so deter- 
mined as he. What with Royalists, — or, in the va- 
ried epithets of the day, Tories, Loyalists, Traitors, 
— military factions and political divisions and asper- 
ities, no man, in elevated office, ever suffered more 
than Washington from the injustice, open and con- 
cealed, of his contemporaries. This was true 
both in his own and the mother country. In the 
present universal admiration for his name and 
character, we find it difficult to conceive how this 
bitter spirit could have been exhibited toward one 
so exalted in purity, patriotism, self-sacrifice, and 
suffering for his country. 

Amonai: the traitors to our cause w%as one who 
appeared soon after Washington took command 
of the army at Cambridge, Dr. Benjamin Church. 
Up to this time he had stood high as a patriot and 
a friend of liberty. He was still a member of 
the House of Representatives, and had been just 
appointed Surgeon-General and Director of Hos- 
pitals. At this crisis he was suspected of a traitor- 
ous correspondence with the enemy in Boston. 
After thorough examination he was convicted, 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 191 

and expelled from the House of Representatives. 
Congress afterward resolved " that he be closely 
confined in some jail in Connecticut, without the 
use of pen, ink, or paper ; and that no person 
be allowed to converse with him except in the 
presence and hearing of a magistrate or a sheriff 
of the county." Previously to the execution of 
this sentence he was confined in the former resi- 
dence of Colonel Vassall, opposite the house oc- 
cupied by Washington in Cambridge. I recently 
visited the room assigned to him, where the subse- 
quent occupant, Samuel Batchelder, Esq., who has 
since died, 1880, at the advanced age of ninety- 
two years, politely showed me this room, in which 
I saw the name of Dr. Church, cut on the panel 
of a door by himself while imprisoned there. 

At a distance from this dwellina- is the house in 
which Burgoyne was confined after his defeat and 
capture at the battle of Saratoga. I never look 
on the house occupied by Burgoyne, in Cambridge, 
without contrasting his character, associated as it 
is with that dwelling, and the character of Wash- 
ington, which forever permeates the atmosphere of 
the mansion he occupied when he took command 
of the American army, under the brave old elm 
that bears his immortal name. The same contrast 
I see between two pictures before me, as I write : 
one that of Washington seated, with his majestic 
figure, so modest, yet so grandly impressive, on his 
favorite horse, as he receives a salute on the field 
of Trenton ; the other, a picture in an open book, 



192 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of Burgoj-ne, the impersonation of haughtiness, — 
that defiant attitude, those disdainful eyes, the lips, 
especially the under one, projected m scorn, and the 
chin thrust forward to supplement its effect. How 
must this proud being have fretted himself when 
he thought of his titles and rank, and his preten- 
sions a few months before, and saw himself now a 
prisoner at the mercy of those detested " Yan- 
kees ! " One cannot pass that memorable building 
without recalling the pompous proclamation issued 
by Burgoyne when in his pride and power, and 
contrasting with it the reply of Washington. Bur- 
goyne had threatened the Americans with all the 
outrao'es of war, enhanced by the aid of savao;es to 
be let loose on their prey. Washington, after 
saying, " The free men of America protest against 
such abuse of language and prostitution of senti- 
ment," adds, speaking of the British domination, 
" This is a power we do not dread," and finally 
closes in this calm, dignified, and devout strain : 
" Harassed as we are by unrelenting persecution, 
obliged by every tie to repel violence by force, 
urged by self-preservation to exert the strength 
which Providence has given us to defend our natu- 
ral rights against the aggressor, we appeal to the 
honesty of all mankind for the justice of our cause ; 
its events we submit to Him who speaks the fite of 
nations, in humble confidence that, as His omnis- 
cient eye taketh note even of the sparrow that fall- 
eth to the ground, so he will not withdraw his 
countenance from a people who humbly army them- 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 193 

selves under liis banner in defence of the noblest 
principles with which He hath adorned humanity." 

That a man of this stamp should have been so 
grossly misunderstood or misrepresented almost 
passes belief. Yet the record is clear. Not con- 
fining ourselves to the treason of Arnold, the 
cabal of Conway, the defection of Lee, and the 
known jealousies of military rivals. Gates and 
others, we find abundant and painful evidence of 
the calumnies spread in regard to Washington, not 
only in public journals and private documents, 
but among the daily fireside talks and gatherings 
of obscure individuals and the scandal of evil 
tongues. 

We have only to take up some of the journals 
of the day to learn what incredible accounts were 
circulated in regard to the condition of our affairs, 
as viewed in the mother country. Incidents are nar- 
rated in the British newspapers, published during 
the Revolution, which betray an astonishing lack of 
knowledge in respect to the state of men and 
things in this country. Making all due allowance 
for the coloring of prejudice and passion, what are 
we to think of such accounts as the following, 
taken indiscriminately from journals and letters of 
that period ? The first relates to two of the 
seven marked men who then resided on Tory 
Row, so called, in Cambridge : " Lieutenant-Gov- 
ernor Oliver, president of his majesty's council, was 
attacked at Cambridge by a mob of about four 
thousand, and was compelled to resign his seat at 

13 



194 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

the Board, since which, upon further threats, he 
has been obhged to lease his estate, and take 
I'efuge with his family in Boston. . . Colonel Vassal 
of Cambrido;e, from intolerable threats and inso- 
lent treatment by mobs, lias left his elegant seat 
there and retired to Boston, with his family, for 
protection." 

The Loyalists in Boston are represented as suf- 
fering still worse things. In language not espe- 
cially classic or Christian, we read this statement : 
" The fugitives from Boston are gone for Halifax ; 
the people say, ' no d — d Tories shall be allowed 
to breathe in their air,' so that those ' d — Is ' can't 
find a resting-place there, wdiich was the only 
place on the continent that they ever dared to 
hope they might stay in." 

It is known that our commander was seldom 
alluded to by his military title. Even Thomas 
Hutchinson, American born, who had been gov- 
ernor of Massachusetts, sneeringly calls him, in his 
contribution to history, " Mr. Washington." and 
the following would make it appear that, viewed 
in his domestic relations, neither he nor his were 
entitled to very great respect: "Mr. Washington 
we hear, is married to a very amiable lady, but it 
is said that Mrs. Washington, being a warm Loyal- 
ist, has separated from her husband since the com- 
mencement of the present troubles, and lives very 
much respected in the city of New York." And 
this when, at the moment, she was actively en- 
gaged in every form of kindness and relief to his 
suffering army. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 195 

The tone of some letters, in the correspondence 
of civil and military officials a century ago, seems 
to us, accustomed to the courtesies of such docu- 
ments at the present time, incredible. Not long 
after the battle of Bunker Hill, Washington wrote 
to General Gage on his treatment of our officers 
who were in the Boston jail. His letter was in 
very mild terms, carefully avoiding any expres- 
sions that might be regarded as indecorous. The 
answer was in an entirely different strain ; it was 
directed to " George Washington, Esq.," and called 
our people Rebels, Usurpers, and the like, affect- 
ing great clemency in having " forborne to hang 
our prisoners." 

But, amid all this misjudgment and maltreat- 
ment, Washington, dishonored by British offi- 
cials, and slightly esteemed even by the Loyalists 
of his own country, had abundant evidence of the 
almost idolatrous regard in which he was held by 
every true patriot in the land. How touching are 
such tributes as this, taken from the old Essex Ga- 
zette, January 7, 1776. "This morning the sixth 
daughter of Captain Bancroft of Dunstable, Mas- 
sachusetts, was baptized by the name of Martha 
Dandridge, the maiden name of his Excellency, 
General Washington's, lady. The child was dressed 
in buff and blue, with a sprig of evergreen on its 
head, emblematic of his Excellency's glory and 
provincial affection." 

And not by personal homage alone, but by the 
spirit of multitudes of both sexes, Washington was 



19G REMmiSCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

cheered and sustained in many a trying moment. 
Notice the devotedness that permeated his native 
State. Says the Pennsylvania Journal, July 16, 
1777 : — 

We hear that the young ladies of Amelia County in 
Virginia, considering the situation of their county in 
particular, and that of the United States in general, have 
entered into a resolution not to permit the addresses of 
any person, be his circumstances or situation in life what 
they will, unless he has served in the American armies 
long enough to prove by his valor that he is deserv- 
ing of their love. 

A writer in the British army at Charleston, South 
Carolina, in a letter to a friend in London, Decem- 
ber, 1781, says : — 

The assemblies which the officers have opened, in liopes 
to give an air of gayety and cheerfulness to themselves 
and the inhabitants, are but dull and gloomy, — the men 
play at cards, indeed, to avoid talking, but the women 
are seldom or never to be persuaded to dance. Even in 
their dresses the females seem to bid us defiance ; the 
gay toys which are imported here they despise ; they 
wear their own homespun manufactures, and take care 
to have in their breastknots, and even on their shoes, 
something from the flag of the thirteen stripes. An 
officer told Lord Cornwallis, not long ago, that he be- 
lieved if we had destroyed all the men in North America, 
we should have enough to do to conquer the women. 

History shows few instances in either sex of a 
heroism equal to the following. In 1779 Congress 
passed this resolve, honorable to them, and still 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 197 

more so to the heroine this body thus appreci- 
ated : — 

Resolved, That Margaret Corbine, who was wounded 
and disabled at the attack of Fort Washington, while 
she heroically filled the post of her husband who was 
killed by her side, serving a piece of artillery, do receive 
during her natural life, or the continuance of the said 
disability, one half of the monthly pay drawn by a sol- 
dier in the service of these States ; and that she now 
receive, out of the public stores, one complete suit of 
clothes, or the value thereof in money. 

The confidence of those who knew Washington 
best, in his transcendent abilities and final success, 
is most touching. Surgeon Thacher speaks of a 
visit of the Commander-in-Chief at the hospital in 
his charge, and his deep interest in the sick and 
wounded, and particular inquiries as to their treat- 
ment and comfortable accommodations : — 

His personal appearance is that of the perfect gen- 
tleman and accomplished warrior. He is remarkably 
tall, — full six feet, — erect and well proportioned. The 
serenity of his countenance and majestic gracefulness of 
his deportment impart a strong impression of that dig- 
nity and grandeur which are his peculiar characteris- 
tics ; and no one can stand in his presence without 
feeling the ascendancy of his mind, and associating with 
his countenance the idea of wisdom, philanthropy, mag- 
nanimity, and patriotism. His nose is straight, and his 
eyes inclined to blue. He displays a native gravity, 
but devoid of all appearance of ostentation. No man 
could have more at command the veneration and regard 



198 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

of the officers and soldiers of our army, even after de- 
feat and misfortune. This is tlie illustrious chief a kind 
Providence has decreed as the instrument to conduct our 
country to peace and independence. 

This was said, we are to recollect, amid the last 
gloomy days of October, 1778, after a time of de- 
pression, and on the eve of that dreary season to 
be spent largely under canvas tents, and amid ex- 
posures to cold and storms. 

Often those of the British who spoke well of 
Washington personally, regarded his army and the 
people in this country generally as too wicked to 
prosper. So good a man in the main as young 
Auburv, an Eno-lish letter-writer in America at the 
time, says : " As to redress from tlie Americans, 
little is to be expected. Though their Commander- 
in-Chief possesses a humanity that reflects the 
highest honors upon him, he has not been able, 
notwithstanding so much love and esteem, to dif- 
fuse that benevolence and godlike virtue among 
others." He speaks of the many " horrid barbar- 
ities and persecutions which arise in consequence 
of this unnatural war, and which have branded the 
name of America with an odium that no time can 
obliterate, no merit expunge." Speaking of Bur- 
goyne's army, then prisoners of war, he says : "For 
ten days the officers subsisted upon salt pork and 
Indian corn made into cakes," and adds, " they 
had not a drop of any kind of spirit. . . . Many 
officers to comfort themselves, put red pepper into 
water to drink, by way of cordial." 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 199 

It is refreshing, amid the misstatements of many 
British accounts during the war, to find a better 
element occasionally appearing in their writers. 
An officer says, speaking of Andre's doom as a spy : 
" General Washington shed tears when the rigor- 
ous sentence" was passed, denying Andre the priv- 
ilege of a soldier and sending him to the gallows, 
" and when it was put in execution," " he would 
have granted his request to die a military death." 
But the writer adds, to his credit : " He [Wash- 
ington] felt certain the effect would be disastrous ; 
and the board of general officers, at the same time 
evincing the sincerest grief, could not deviate from 
the established custom in such cases." 

For all he had endured from evil tongues and the 
treason of trusted men, downward to the humblest 
of his disloyal opponents, he received afterward 
abundant compensation. We can imagine no re- 
ward for his military toils and sufferings greater 
than that he must have seen and felt at the mo- 
ment when he parted from his companions in arms 
at the evacuation by the British in New York. He 
said to them, trembling with emotion as he stood, 
" I cannot come to each of you to take leave, but 
I shall be obliged if each of you will come and 
take me by the hand." General Knox, his bosom 
friend, stepped forward and received the first em- 
brace. The other officers silently followed in suc- 
cession, and every one was in tears. What a 
compensation to him was that scene in which Wash- 
ington read the touching proclamation of peace 



200 REMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

to the army, April 19, 1783, precisely eight 
years from the day of the first bloodsheclcling at 
Lexinii-ton. 

And amid all the anxiety of the hour, the contrast 
with much of the past must have cheered his heart 
in a subsequent year when he was borne by accla- 
mation into the Presidential chair. What rewards 
for his faithfulness, toils, and sacrifices on the field 
were his, as he passed in the autumn of 1789, 
during his first year's civil service, through the 
towns of New England in that better than regal 
progress ! See him in an o^Dcn carriage, drawn by 
four white horses, his private secretary near him, 
riding in advance, and a single servant, his ever 
true attendant. A volunteer courier who precedes 
Washington announcing his approach, rides bare- 
headed as they enter some town. With one hand 
he guides his careering steed ; in the other he bears 
a trumpet, whose blast arouses the people, followed 
by his shout, " Washington is coming ! Washing- 
ton is coming ! " The parish bell is rung ; the 
schoolmaster ejaculates " school 's dismissed," and 
away rush the delighted children to see the hero 
and his train. An escort of horsemen are at once 
in line, and the first men of the town proceed to 
welcome the idol of the people. Sometimes, as 
when he visited the large town of Haverhill, Mas- 
sachusetts, Washington, in a drab surtout and wear- 
ing a military hat, is mounted on an elegant horse ; 
his tall, erect form and majestic bearing give him 
an air of unsurpassed dignity, as he moves onward 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 201 

in what he calls " the pleasantest village I have 
passed through." This ride is made immortal by 
the pen of Whittier : — 

And he stood up in his stirrups, 

Looking up and looking down 
On the hills of gold and silver, 

Rimming round the little town. 

And he said, the landscape sweeping 

Slowly with his ungloved hand : 
" I have seen no prospect fairer 

In this goodly eastern land." 

Then the bugles of his escort 

Stirred t(j life the cavalcade ; 
And that head, so bare and stately, 

Vanished down the depths of shade. 

KNOX FAMILY. 

Heney Knox deserves a prominent place in 
any mention of the Society of the Cincinnati. He 
was, by his early suggestion of it and his earnest 
labors for its organization, essentially its founder. 
Born July 25, 1750, he died October 25, 1806. 
From his boyhood he took an interest in the affairs 
of his country, and at every stage of his life was 
devoted to the cause of freedom, and dedicated all 
his powers of body and mind to its advancement. 
He was fond of reading, and at the age of twenty- 
one he opened a bookstore opposite Williams's 
Court in Cornhill, Boston, which became a great 
resort in 1771 for the British officers and Tory 
ladies, who were the ton of that period. This 
store was, not many years afterward, while Knox 



202 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



was engaged with the besieging army, robbed and 
pillaged ; but still the occupant, with characteris- 
tic honor, paid his London creditors, before his de- 
cease, a large portion of his dues to them. He 
was invited to join the royal standard, but rejected 
promptly the proposal, and embarked, heart and 
hand, in the Patriot cause. 

August 9, 1775, we find him at Cambridge, din- 
ing with Washington. He soon proposed to go to 
Fort Ticonderoga, and, with the approval of his 
General, transported from that place some fifty 
cannon, and stores in boats and sleds, Avliich ren- 
dered great service in the siege of Boston. The 
furious cannonade from Knox's batteries, March 
4, 1776, obliged the British finally, on the 17th of 
that month, to evacuate Boston. His eminent 
military skill at Trenton, Monmouth, White Plains, 
Yorktown, and elsewhere, entitles him to a very 
high rank among those who achieved our inde- 
pendence. 

After the close of the war General Knox held 
important civil offices. Made Secretary of War 
by Washington in 1785, he was in his cabinet un- 
til he resigned in 1794. He was a conimissioner to 
settle the eastern boundary on the River St. Croix, 
a member of the General Court of Massachusetts 
in 1801, and June 2, 1804, was appointed one of 
the Council of Governor Strong, by whom he was 
consulted on many important questions. His liter- 
ary and scientific attainments induced Dartmouth 
College in 1793 to confer upon him the honorary 
degree of Master of Arts; and December IG, 1805, 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 203 

he was chosen a Fellow of the American Academy 
of Arts and Sciences. General Knox stood proba- 
bly first, although Lafayette was very near him, in 
the esteem, affection, and confidence of Washing- 
ton. Entering the army in his youth as a volun- 
teer, he rose by the force of his character and by 
his services to the rank of major-general, the high- 
est position below that of the commander-in-chief. 

Henry Knox Thatcher, eldest grandson of 
General Knox, succeeded him in the society of the 
Cincinnati, in 1843, He was born in Thomaston, 
Maine, May 26, 1806, and died April 5, 1880. I 
knew him personally, as a member of the New 
England Historic Genealogical Society, to which he 
presented, with very interesting remarks, the in- 
valuable collection of his grandfather's manuscript 
letters, elegantly bound in fifty-six folio volumes. 
He entered the United States Navy, March 4, 
1823, as a midshipman, and was commissioned 
lieutenant in 1833. He was made commander in 
September, 1856, and captain in 1861 ; commis- 
sioned commodore in 1862, and during the late 
Civil War took part in the capture of Mobile, 
April 12, 1865. He was promoted to rear-ad- 
miral in 1866. He was retired May 26, 1868, and 
was post-admiral of Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 
until 1870. In that year he became vice-presi- 
dent of the Society of the Cincinnati, and in 1871 
was chosen president. His last residence was at 
Winchester, Massachusetts. He married Susan 



204 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

C, daughter of Dr. Croswell, of Plymouth, Mcassa- 
chusetts. They had no children. 

Baron von Steuben, after General Knox, 
should be named next in this connection. The 
first general meeting, after the disbanding of the 
army, to consider the formation of the Society of 
the Cincinnati, took place at the City Tavern, in 
Philadelphia, May, 1784. The Baron called the 
meeting to order. Washington took the chair and 
was. May 15, unanimously chosen president, Major- 
General Gates being vice-president, and Major- 
General Knox, secretary. 

Frederick William Augustus von Steuben, born 
in Prussia, November 15, 1730, died near Utica, 
New York, November 28, 1794. He offered his 
services to Washington, December 1, 1777, and was 
directed to join the army at Valley Forge in mid- 
winter, and acted an important part, in connection 
with Lafayette, at the siege of Yorktown and in 
the battle of Monmouth. He was appointed in- 
spector-general, wdth the rank of major-general, 
and did much to improve the condition of the 
troops in our army. He afterward wrote a man- 
ual, which was of great value to the discipline of 
the army, and contributed very largely to the suc- 
cess of the Revolution. He had served under 
Frederick the Great of Prussia, and was one of his 
aides-de-camp. With all his distinction he is re- 
ported, however, as quite irascible, and not very 
reverent. Knowing little of our language, in a 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 205 

moment of excitement, when drilling an awkward 
squad, he exclaimed to a subordinate, " Come and 
swear for me in English ; these fellows will not do 
what I bid them." 

His generosity in furnishing supplies, equip- 
ments, and comforts, at his own expense, for our 
soldiers — so great that he frequently shared his last 
dollar with a suffering soldier — impoverishing him- 
self; yet it was not until 1790 that Congress re- 
lieved him by an annuity of $ 2,500. See his 
portrait ! Here is a robust and athletic frame, 
surmounted by a head firmly fixed on the body, 
and a face expressive of a rare union of energy of 
character with sweetness and kindliness. We are 
not surprised to learn that he had a great gift of 
conversation, had warm personal friends, and was 
very popular in general society. He was a man 
to be trusted ; power and decision were written in 
his eye and on his lips ; and he was no less loved 
for all that is generous and attractive. The follow- 
ing letter, brought to light at a dinner given to 
our German guests at Washington, October 22, 
1881, six of whom descended from the Baron, 
being the very last written before the author of 
it resisj-ned his office as commander-in-chief of 
the American Army, is an eloquent testimonial 
to the worth of its subject : — 

Annapolis, Dec. 23, 1783. 
My Deae Baron, — Although I have taken fre- 
quent opportunities in public and private of acknowledg- 
ing your great zeal, attention, and abilities in performing 



206 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the duties of your office, yet I wish to make use of this 
last moment of my public life to signify in the strongest 
terms my entire approbation of your conduct, and to 
express my sense of the obligations the public is under 
to you for your faithful and meritorious services. I beg 
you will be convinced, my dear sir, that I should rejoice 
if it could ever be in my power to serve you more essen- 
tially than by expressions of regard and affection, but 
in the mean time I am persuaded you will not be dis- 
pleased with this farewell token of my sincere friendship 
and esteem for you. This is the last letter which I 
shall write while I continue in the service of my country. 
The hour of my resignation is fixed at 12 o'clock to- 
day, after which I shall become a private citizen on the 
banks of the Potomac, where I shall be glad to embrace 
you, and to testify the great esteem and consideration 
with which I am, my dear Baron, etc., 

George Washington. 

The place won and retained in the heart of 
Washington by Baron von Steuben will be his 
perpetual commendation. 

John Brooks was born in Medford, Massachu- 
setts, and baptized May 31, 1752. I recollect him 
well when he was governor of Massachusetts. A 
classmate of mine, his nephew, told me much of 
his systematic habits of life, — and, among his pecu- 
liarities, that he always omitted one dinner every 
week. At the age of twenty-one he commenced 
practice as a physician in Pleading; and in 1774 
he married a celebrated beauty, Lucy Smith. On 
the 19th of April, 1775, he marched at the head of 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 207 

a company of minute-men, and met the British 
near Concord, on their return. 

To him, as to many others, the battle of Lexing- 
ton sounded the death-knell of all hope of a 
reconciliation between this and the mother coun- 
try. That spark struck fire in his as in every 
true American bosom, and no wonder the chroni- 
cles of the day are filled with accounts of the peo- 
ple rising " as one man, taking their firelocks, and 
rushing toward the opening scene of blood." 
East, west, north, and south we read of companies 
formed to march toward that spot, and our history 
is filled with the names of one and another re- 
ported as " present at the battle of Lexington." 
Haffield White dies at Danvers, and the fairest line 
of his record is that he was at the battle of Lex- 
ington. Thomas Nixon dies at Framingham in 
1800, Samuel Bowman at Lexington in 1818, Jos- 
eph Balcom at Templeton in 1825, two men 
named Jackson at Newton, Thomas Hunt in Cin- 
cinnati, — time would fail me to w^rite out the whole 
list. This one event of their lives — their presence 
at the battle of Lexington — is their crowning 
glory ; even the rumor that they were there is 
sometimes sufficient for their fame. Captain Jolin 
Brooks, it has often been said, was in this battle ; 
but the truth was he did not reach Lexington 
until the British forces were on their return from 
Concord, when his men posted themselves, as did 
others, behind the barns and fences, and fired 
thence on the enemy. 



208 EEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

He was, June 16, ordered to Cambridge, but 
could take no part in the noble work of the 17th 
at Bunker Hill. He was in the battle of White 
Plains, and his corps received the acknowledg- 
ment of Washington for its brave conduct. A 
skilful disciplinarian, at Valley Forge he was ap- 
pointed by Washington to aid Baron von Steuben 
in his new system of military tactics. He was 
adjutant-general in the battle of Monmouth. 
When the Newbury letters appeared, suggesting 
an insurrection, Washington rode up to Brooks, to 
learn how the officers stood affected, and to counsel 
them against the treasonable step. " Sir," replied 
Brooks, " I have anticipated your wishes, and my 
orders are given." With tears in his eyes Wash- 
ington took him by the hand and said : " Colonel 
Brooks, this is just wdiat I expected from you." 

After the war he retired in poverty, and re- 
sumed the practice of his jorofession. He was 
made major-general of the militia, and often 
elected to civil offices. From 1816 to 1823 he 
was governor of Massachusetts. After declining 
a re-election, in his retirement he was chosen 
to preside over several societies. From 1783 to 
1785, he w\as the first secretary of the Cincin- 
nati of Massachusetts, gave the first of its ora- 
tions, July 4, 1787, and was its president from 
1810 to bis death, March 1, 1825, and vice-presi- 
dent of the General Society from 1811 to 1825. 
He received from Harvard College, in 1781, the 
hoiu)i-ary degree of A. M. ; in 1810 that of M. D. ; 
and in 1817 that of LL. D. 




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SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. . 209 

He had, I recollect, a fine portly figure, and a 
Roman countenance, expressing firmness and cour- 
age ; his bright eye and his mouth, somewhat com- 
pressed, showed a strong character, united with a 
pleasant disposition. He had a soldierly bearing, 
a graceful deportment ; dignified, and of the Old 
School in manners, his whole appearance was an in- 
dex of his generous and noble heart. 

Joseph Fiske was born in Lexington, Massa- 
chusetts, December 24, 1752. He died September 
25, 1837. Having studied medicine and begun 
its practice, he was led by his patriotic spirit to ac- 
cept the commission of surgeon's mate in Vose's 
Regiment, in 1777. He was made surgeon, April 
17, 1779, and served in the army seven years. He 
was present at the surrender of Burgoyne in 1777, 
and of Cornwallis in 1781. He was frequently at 
my father's house, and was very agreeable. I 
drank in greedily his accounts, given to my grand- 
fixther, — who was with him in the company of 
Captain Parker, April 19, 1775, — of his own ex- 
periences as a surgeon in the War of the Revolu- 
tion. It was a time when all shared in common 
privations. General Washington would sit down 
with his highest officers to a small piece of beef, 
with a few potatoes and some hard bread. The 
veteran told us of sitting with officers at a plank 
table in the camp, where a single dish of wood or 
pewter sufficed for a mess ; a horn spoon, and a 
horn tumbler were passed round, and the knife was 

14 



210 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

carried in the pocket ; sugar, tea, and coffee were 
unknown luxuries, and if perchance a ration of 
rum was o-iven out — this was in the dead of win- 
ter — the question would be raised, '-Shall we 
drink it, or shall we put it in our shoes to keep 
our feet from freezing ? " 

During the pursuit of Cornwallis the soldiers 
had not decent clothing ; and an old cloak of one 
of the generals, they having not a blanket left, was 
nearly the whole winter shared with two other offi- 
cers. Dr. Fiske would corroborate, in my hearing, 
accounts of the need of medicine and comforts for 
the wounded. Wine, spirits, and even the ordinary 
medicines could not be procured ; and after search- 
ing miles upon miles nothing of the kind could be 
found but small portions of snakeroot. And as 
for bandages, the case was still worse, if possible ; 
nothing could be done for their supply but to cut 
up a tent found on the field. 

He related mirthful, no less than sad reminiscen- 
ces of the war, and used to tell anecdotes of this 
kind of one Captain Iloudin. This French officer 
lived to see the National Government established, 
and asked an office of General Knox, then Secre- 
tary of War. " Captain," said the Secretary, " you 
have abused the new government, and how can 
you ask office under it ? " " Oh," said the Captain, 
•' I only did it because that was popular ; I did n't 
mean anything by it." When Washington was 
told this anecdote he gave a hearty laugh, a very 
rare thing for him. The Captain succeeded at last, 
it seems, in getting an office. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 211 

Dr. Fiske was a member of the Society of the 
Cincinnati, and of the Massachusetts Medical So- 
ciety. He married, July 31, 1794, Elizabeth Stone, 
born November 13, 1770, who died March G, 1849, 
aged 78. They had six children, of whom the oldest 
son, Joseph, born in Lexington, Massachusetts, 
February 9, 1797, succeeded his father in the 
Cincinnati Society in 1839. He was a member of 
the Massachusetts Medical Society. He died in 
his native place, May 4, 18G0. 

Captain Benjaisiin Gould was born in Tops- 
field, Massachusetts, in 1751 ; He died in Newbury- 
port in 1841, at the age of ninety. At this place 
I met and conversed with him in 1839. His mili- 
tary spirit and his decided patriotism were shown 
throu"-hout the war. He was an ensin-n in Lit- 
tie's Regiment, and wounded April 19, 1775. He 
was in the Continental army, took part in the 
battles of Bennington, Stillwater, and Saratoga, 
and served under Lafayette in Rhode Island ; was 
at West Point at the time of Arnold's treason, and 
was one of the first to detect that dark crime. 
What joy it must have given this veteran of four- 
score and three years to meet the nation's guest 
on his visit to Newburyport in 1825. Here, too, 
it was that Daniel Foster, who served in Lafay- 
ette's corps of light infantry, met, on that occasion, 
sword in hand, his old commander. " I am proud 
to see you," said the old hero, " once more on 
American soil." Lafayette embraced him and re- 
plied, " I look upon you as one of my own family." 



212 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

The son of the Captain, Benjamin Apthorp 
Gould, was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts, June 
15, 1787, and died October 24, 1859, in Boston. 
He taught the Latin School in that city with emi- 
nent success, and became afterward a distinguished 
merchant. He was editor of the first American 
editions of Virgil, Ovid, and Horace. Personal 
intercourse with Mr. Gould impressed me with his 
intelligence and courtesy. He graduated at Har- 
vard College in 1814. He was an illustration of 
the advantages of a liberal education and high 
scholarship, not only in the '' professions," but in 
commercial life. His broad views and naturally 
correct judgment of men and affairs had been im- 
proved by mental culture. This impression was 
strengthened by many testimonials from one who 
was a partner in business with him. His unchal- 
lenged integrity equalled and adorned his high 
mental qualities and attainments. Having known 
Captain Gould, the father, and enjoj^ed the friend- 
ship of his daughter. Miss Hannah F. Gould, — a 
writer of distinction for her graphic and original 
poetry, especially her patriotic ode at the re-inter- 
ment of the martyred soldiers at Lexington, April 
19, 1835, — it is a pleasure to speak of them with 
confidence. 

Benjamin Apthorp, the grandson of Captain 
Gould, was born in Boston, September 27, 1824. 
He was admitted to the Society of the Cincinnati in 
1864, by the rule adopted by the General Society 
in May 1854. His intellectual ability has been 
shown in many positions. 



SOCIETY OF THE CIKCINNATL 213 

Professor Gould tirracluated at Harvard Colletre 
in 1844 ; received a degree from Gottingen in 1848 ; 
edited, for twelve years, the " Astronomical Jour- 
nal ; " was on the United States Coast Survey from 
1852 to 1867, when I knew him well; organized 
the Dudley Observatory in Albany, of which he 
was director, 1856-59 ; was in the Sanitary Com- 
mission, Statistical Department of the Civil War, 
and published the " Military and Anthropological 
Statistics of American Soldiers." He worked in 
the Washington Observatory twelve years, and 
suice 1873 has been director of the National Ar- 
gentine Observatory in Cordova. He was, in 1868, 
president of the American Association for the Ad- 
vancement of Science, and is a member of various 
scientific societies and academies in Euro]3e. 

Edward Strong Moseley, born June 22, 1813, 
was admitted, in May 1867, a member of the So- 
ciety of the Cincinnati, under the rule of May 1854. 
His family have shown military tastes, and have 
claims connected with the Revolutionary War. 
Ebenezer, grandfather of Edward Strong Moseley, 
graduated at Yale College in 1763 ; was a mission- 
ary among the Western Indians several years, from 
1767 ; and in April 1775, was commissioned cap- 
tain in Putnam's Connecticut Regiment, which he 
accompanied to Cambridge ; and he was in the 
battle of Bunker Hill. In 1777, the governor of 
Massachusetts authorized him to raise ten hundred 
and ninety-two men to join the army at Provi- 



214 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

dence under General Spencer, and he was ap- 
pointed one of the captains. He was colonel of 
the Connecticut Regiment of mihtia in 1789-91. 
During the latter part of the Revolution, and for 
some subsequent years, he was representative of 
Windham, Connecticut. He died March 20, 1825, 
aged 84 years. His son, Hon. Ebenezer Moseley, 
born November 21, 1781, graduated at Yale College 
in 1802, and settled in Newburyport. He was col- 
onel of a regiment of the Massachusetts Militia, 1813 
-14 ; representative and senator of Massachusetts, 
and master in chancery; president of the Essex 
County Agricultural Society ; and tilled many other 
positions of public trust and honor. His son, Ed- 
ward Strong, was a successful merchant many years 
in the East India trade, is president of the Mechanics 
National Bank and of the Institution for Savings in 
Newburyport. In 1870 he received the honorary 
degree of A. M. from Yale College, of which, from 
1829, he was nearly three years a member. 

It is fitting that the native town of Mr. Moseley 
should be represented in the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati. We are astonished and pained by the suf- 
ferings endured by our soldiers ; but Ave seldom 
realize what must have been the sufferings of those 
who saw their husbands and brothers, on all sides, 
summoned to go forth and encounter dangers 
and death in the most trying forms. I happen 
to know a striking illustration of hardships not 
unusual in other towns at that time. The town 
of Newburyport — where I spent nearly eight 



SOCIETY OF THE CUSTCINXATI. 215 

years among the descendants of those who endured 
privations of this kind — was, in August 1777, re- 
quired to raise for the Continental Army one sixth 
of all her men capable of bearing arms. Added 
to this, those who remained at home were taxed to 
the highest point, and obliged to deprive them- 
selves of not a few of the comforts and sometimes of 
what we should think the necessaries of life. " The 
whole town," says her historian, " was so early 
turned into a military camp, and the troops kept 
in such a state of preparation, that when on the 
day of the battle of Lexington, the news of it was 
brought to town, before eleven o'clock that night 
reinforcements from Newburyport were on their 
way to join their brothers in the bloody struggle." 
The public spirit of Newburyport was shown in 
another form, when Washington, in the autumn 
of 1789, on his tour through the North, visited 
that town. He was received with great enthusi- 
asm ; a committee met him at Ipswich ; two 
companies of cavalry escorted him to the 
town; a procession, including all classes of peo- 
ple — the largest body that of the school-chil- 
dren — greeted his entrance. There were four 
hundred and twenty scholars, each with a quill in 
hand, headed by their teachers, the motto on their 
banner : " We are the freeborn subjects of the 
United States." An elegantly dressed vessel in the 
harbor, from Teneriffe, fired the salute of her nation, 
twenty-one guns. This w^as gracefully noticed by 
Washington, of which the "Essex Journal" of Nov- 



216 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ember 4, 1789 says : " We cannot but admire, among 
the admirable traits in the President's character, 
that of his politeness to foreigners." As the pro- 
cession moved on, the drums beat and a salute was 
fired ; afterward a meeting was held at which an 
ode w\as sung, and an address delivered by John 
Quincy Adams, then a law student with Chief Jus- 
tice Parsons in Newburyport, and destined himself 
to be one of Washington's successors. In the even- 
ino", guns were fired ; a display of fireworks took 
place, and every demonstration of joy was mani- 
fested. An aged lady, one of my parishioners, told 
me she was among the school-children on that 
day, and Washington gave her a kiss. 

Timothy Pickering was born in Salem, Massa- 
chusetts, July 17, 1745, and died there January 29, 
1829, aged 84 years. He was an original member 
of the Pennsjdvania Society of the Cincinnati. He 
joined Washington in New Jersey with his regi- 
ment in 1776 ; was made adjutant-general of the 
army in May, 1777 ; a member of the Board of War 
in November, and quartermaster-general August 
5, 1780. He was postmaster-general of the United 
States, November 7, 1791 -January 2, 1795; sec- 
retary of war, January 10, 1795 -December 10, 
same year; secretary of state, December 10, 1795 
-May 12, 1800 ; United States Senator, 1803-11 ; 
member of the Massachusetts Board of War, 1812- 
15; and member of Congress 1815-17. Active in 
the cause of education, he was an able writer, a 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 217 

brave and patriotic soldier, and, as a public officer, 
energetic and disinterested. Of the Old School of 
manners, he was highly gifted in conversation. 

John Pickering, son of Timothy Pickering, 
born in Salem, Massachusetts, February 17, 1777, 
died May 5, 1846. He was admitted a member of 
the Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati in 1843. 
He had a large practice as a lawyer, and still, by 
his rare industry, became one of the first scholars 
in the country. He was chosen professor of 
Hebrew in Harvard College in 1806, and invited to 
the chair of Greek literature ; he was president of 
the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and 
of the Oriental Society of Boston. He was a mem- 
ber of many scientific and literary bodies in Eu- 
rope. Familiar with twenty-two languages, he 
wrote several treatises upon philology, and pro- 
duced a Greek and English Lexicon, on which he 
was engaged 1814-26. He was also a very able 
lecturer. In the winter of 1829-30 I had the 
pleasure of hearing from him an able lecture, in 
Boston, before the Young Men's Association, and 
was impressed by his massive brow and scholarly 
appearance. 

John Pickering, eldest son of the former, born 
November 8, 1808, succeeded him in 1867 in the 
Society of the Cincinnati. He was for many years 
a successful stock-broker in Boston, and resided in 
the old family house at Salem, built in 1651. A 



218 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

pleasant personal aquaintance with him, and the 
privilege of having heard learned words from his 
distinguished father, and known, as a neighbor, his 
brother, Octavius Pickering, eminent as a reporter 
in the Massachusetts Supreme Court, and occupied, 
at the age of seventj-five, on the Life and Writings 
of his father, Timothy Pickering, have given me 
special satisfaction in paying this tribute to their 
honored family. Mr. John Pickering died in Salem, 
January 20, 1882. His son John, born May 24, 
1857, was admitted to the Society, July 4, 1882. 

Louis Baury (de Bellerive), born in St. Do- 
mingo, September 16, 1753, died in Middletown, 
Connecticut, September 20, 1807. He w^as ad- 
mitted to the Society of the Cincinnati in 1789. He 
was educated at the same school as Napoleon, in 
Brienne, France, and became a planter at St. Do- 
mingo. He took part at the siege of Savannah, 
as captain in a volunteer corps, and remained in 
the service until the close of the war. In 1787 he 
was aide-de-camp to General Lincoln in suppressing 
the Shays Rebellion. He w\as of a military family, 
his father having been a captain of cavalry, and 
his eldest son, Francis, was killed at the age of 17, 
while acting as aide to General Rochambeau at St. 
Domingo in March, 1802. Frederic, son of Louis 
Baury, succeeded him in the Society of the Cincin- 
nati in 1813; was a midshipman at 17, in 1809; 
served in the ship " Constitution " at the capture 
of the " Guerriere" and the "Java;" was on the 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 219 

" Wasp " when she captured the " Reindeer," in 
1814, and at the time she was lost in September 
of that year. 

Alfred Louis Bauey, D.D., born September 14, 
1794, succeeded his brother in the Society of the 
Cincinnati in 1823. Although occupied in business 
for a time, he left it in early life, and after the study 
of theology, was admitted to Deacon's Orders, Sep- 
tember, 1820. In July 1822 he was chosen rector of 
St. Mary's, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts. I 
often had the pleasure — while teaching school a 
winter during my college life, not far from his 
church — of hearing some of his able sermons, de- 
livered with uncommon dignity and force. His 
reading of the service was very impressive. In per- 
sonal appearance he was marked by much of that 
combination of dignity with sweetness which we see 
in the portrait of his father, although the mouth is 
more compressed and his gravity more observable. 
There is much in his figure and face that reminds 
me of those of the English preacher, Robertson. 
Both had a union of military decision with benevo- 
lence and spirituality. Dr. Baury wrote a clear, 
firm, and upright hand. It corresponded with his 
personal air and bearing. He was tall, erect, and 
graceful, with fine classical features. When I first 
saw him he was yet young ; but throughout his life, 
he is said to have been a most agreeable compan- 
ion, honored for his professional ability, and loved 
by all who enjoyed the privilege of his society and 



220 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



knew his high moral worth. He was chosen vice- 
president of the Massachusetts Society of the Cin- 
cinnati, July 4, 1857, and president in 1865. He 
died in Boston, December 26, 1865. 

John Hastings was born in Cambridge, Massa- 
chusetts, March 23, 1754; and died there Febru- 
ary 16, 1839. He graduated at Harvard College 
in 1772, entered the army in 1775; was commis- 
sioned captain in Jackson's Regiment, May 25, 
1777, and in Brooks's Regiment in 1783. He 
was the son of Jonathan and Elizabeth (Cotton) 
Hastings. He married, December 7, 1783, Lydia, 
daughter of Richard and Lydia (Trowbridge) Dana, 
the parents of Chief-Justice Francis Dana. She 
died in Woburn, May 8, 1808. They had seven 
children, of whom the only son was Edmund Trow- 
bridge. John Hastings lived to the age of eighty- 
five. I knew him for some six years of the last of 
his life, and at the remarkable age of eighty-two, 
he had, I recollect, the whooping cough. He was 
a brave man, and testified his patriotism by serving 
through nearly the whole Revolutionary War. 

Edmund Trowbridge Hastings, the only son of 
John, succeeded him in the Society of the Cincin- 
nati in 1839. He was born in Woburn, Massachu- 
setts, May 15, 1789 ; and died in Medford, Massa- 
chusetts, May 13, 1861. His wife Elizabeth died 
November 30, 1880, aged 85 years. I was once a 
member of his family, and knew well his high moral 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 221 

excellence, the integrity which marked him as a 
merchant, and the kind traits of himself and family. 
He had two sons, Edmund Trowbridge and John 
Walter, born November 27, 1819, who married 
Sarah E. Gannett, September 4, 1850, and one 
daughter, Harriet Elizabeth, born August 3, 1818, 
who married, October 5, 1841, John Bryant Hatch. 

Edmund Trowbridge Hastings, eldest son of 
Edmund T. Hastings, whom he succeeded in the 
Society of the Cincinnati in 1863, was born in Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts, March 3, 1816. He resides 
in Medford, Massachusetts, on his father's estate, 
unmarried. 

Africa Hamlin was born in Pembroke, Massa- 
chusetts, in 1756, and died in Waterford, Maine, in 
1808. He was one of the oriiJ-inal members of the 
Society of the Cincinnati. He entered the army in 
the humble capacity of a waiter at the beginning of 
the Revolutionary War; was commissioned ensign, 
January 1, 1781, and served to the close of the war. 
In 1788 he removed to Waterford, Maine, then a 
wilderness. He spent his winters in teaching school, 
and, having unusual abilities, held many responsible 
offices in the town. On one occasion he showed 
his versatility and readiness, when — the Fourth-of- 
July orator failing to appear — at the request of his 
townsmen he took his place, and gave great satis- 
faction by his address. 

His father had a large family and named four of 



222 KEMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

his sons, Europe, Asia, Africa, and America. An- 
other of his sons. Dr. Cyrus Hamlin, was the flither 
of Vice-President Hannibal Hanilin. Africa Ham- 
lin married, in 1785, Susanna Stone of Groton, 
Massachusetts. They had six children, all daugh- 
ters. Asia Hamlin lived many years in Westford, 
Massachusetts. I boarded in his family while fit- 
ting for college in the academy of that town. 
Mr. Hamlin was a man strong in body and mind, 
social, facetious, and, as might be expected of one 
born and trained as he was, he used very plain 
speech. He was somewhat eccentric, although, like 
his excellent companion, a lady of culture, he was 
kindhearted and friendly to us boj^s. He lived, I 
think, to nearly the age of ninety. 

Job Sumner, an original member of the society 
of the Cincinnati, was born in Milton, Massachu- 
setts, April 23, 1754. He entered college in 1774 ; 
but when the students were dispersed after the 
battle of Lexington, he immediately joined the 
army, and continued in it until its final disband- 
ment in 1784. He was a lieutenant in Moses Dra- 
per's Company, of Gardner's Regiment, at Bunker 
Hill; in Bond's Twenty-fifth Regiment at the siege 
of Boston and in the invasion of Canada ; commis- 
sioned captain in Greaton's Third Regiment, Jan- 
uary 1, 1777, and made major in 1783. He had 
" the reputation of an attentive and intelligent offi- 
cer," and was commissioned, after the war, to settle 
the accounts of the United States with Georgia. 



SOCIETY OF TUE CINCINNATI. 223 

He died of poison in New York City, September 16. 
1789. 

Chaeles Pinckney Sumner, only son of Major 
Job, succeeded him in the Society of the Cincinnati, 
in 1803. He was born in Milton, January 20, 1776, 
and died in Boston, April 24, 1839. He graduated 
at Harvard College in 1796, studied law, was sev- 
eral years clerk of the Massachusetts House of Rep- 
resentatives, and was sheriff of Suffolk County from 
1825 until his death. He was a man of hterary cul- 
ture, and delivered several orations, addresses, and 
poems on public occasions. I recollect him well 
through many years, and observed his uniformly 
courteous and gentlemanly deportment. 

Charles Sumner, the eldest son of Charles P. 
Sumner, succeeded him in the Society of the Cin- 
cinnati in 1840. He was born in Boston, January 
6, 1811, and died March 11, 1874; graduated at 
Harvard College in 1830, and at the Dane Law 
School in 1834. He was a great favorite of Judge 
Story, who was then professor in the Law School. 
I recollect him well, his fine figure and marked 
fnce, at that early age. I heard his oration on 
" The True Grandeur of Nations," beside other 
addresses. Becoming afterward personally ac- 
quainted with him, I enjoyed highly his remarkable 
conversational powers. His extraordinary reading, 
memory, and general culture, his graceful manner 
and rare eloquence, from the beginning of his career, 



224 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

impressed me deeply. He was a strict censor of 
himself, and said once to me that he feared he 
was falling into a " beat " in his style of speaking. 
I watched earnestly the long struggle in the 
Massachusetts Legislature, in the session of 1851, 
over his candidacy for the United States senator- 
ship. He was anxious, at one time, to withdraw 
from the arena, but his friends urged him to let his 
name still be used in the balloting. When, after 
many ballots, April 24, 1851, he was declared 
elected, the excitement was intense. I was among 
the first to reach his house on Hancock Street, to 
congratulate him on the result. He seemed quite 
sober, and said: "It is a very responsible posi- 
tion. I am by no means sure this result is best, 
either for the country or for me." His course in 
the United States Senate enhanced the admiration 
of antislavery men. A thrill of horror filled our 
hearts when, after the delivery of his great speech, 
" The Crime against Kansas," Mny 19-29, 1856, 
he was brutally assaulted in his seat by Preston 
S. Brooks, a representative in Congress from South 
Carolinn. After being disabled for about three 
years, on resuming his seat in the Senate he made, 
June 4, 1860, his famous speech on " The Barba- 
rism of Slavery." He was among the first to pro- 
l)ose emancipation as the best means of ending the 
Rebellion ; and he afterward originated and aided 
the enactment of those Constitutional Amend- 
ments by which the Freedmen obtained political 
rights. In 1862 I visited him at Washington, 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 225 

when lie seemed to have recovered much of his 
original health and spirits. Amid his grave and 
earnest labors he had moments of wit and humor. 
He read one day, out of a mass of daily newspa- 
pers, an amusing anecdote of a French milk- 
woman, who one day left her milkcan with ouly 
water in it, " Oh,"- said she, when rebuked for 
it, -I forgot to put the milk to it." 

His decided course against slavery made him 
many political enemies ; but since his death, March 
11, 1874, he has stood — and in the ordeal of the 
future will more confessedly stand — on the summit 
of national honor, as a scholar and statesman, dis- 
tinguished in history for his legal and civil attain- 
ments, his eloquent writings and speech, his 
devoted ness to the cause of human freedom, the 
purity of his principles, and his incorruptible 
integrity. 

William Eustis, an original member of the 
Society of the Cincinnati, was born at Cambridge, 
June 10, 1753 ; was in the Boston Latin School in 
1761; graduated at Harvard College in 1772; 
studied medicine under Dr. Joseph Warren, and, 
on the day of the Lexington battle, was at the 
scene of action, and aided in dressing the wounds 
of the soldiers. He was commissioned surgeon of 
Gridley's Artillery Regiment, April 19, 1775, and, 
January 1, 1777, was commissioned surgeon and 
physician at the hospital opposite West Point. 
He remained on the medical staff until the close of 

15 



226 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

the "war. He was a volunteer sargeon in the 
Shays RebelHon ; a member of the General Court, 
from 1788, for six or seven years; a member of 
Congress in 1800-05, and again in 1821-23 ; was 
appointed by President Madison, secretary of war 
in 1809, and resio-ned in 1812. He was minister 
ro Holland, 1815-18, and Avas governor of Massa- 
chusetts, 1823-25, dying in Boston while in office, 
February 6, 1825, at the age of seventy-one. He 
was vice-president of the Cincinnati Society, 
1786-1810, and again in 1820. He dehvered the 
annual oration before that Society, July 4, 1791. 
He received the honorary degree of LL. D. from 
Harvard University in 1823, and received honors 
from other colleges. He was a member, and for 
some time a counsellor, of the Massachusetts 
Medical Society. 

While in the army he was humane, faithful, and 
indefatigable in his office. His urbane manner 
and social feelings made him everywhere a popu- 
lar companion. His house — the Governor Shirley 
mansion in Roxbury — was a hospitable and pleas- 
ant resort to friends and strangers. His father, 
Benjamin Eustis, married in Cambridge, May 11, 
1749, Elizabeth Hill, who died May 30, 1775. I find 
on a roll of Captain Parker's Company of men 
who were called to Cambridge, June 17, 18, 1775. 
the name of William Eustis. Governor Eustis was 
then twenty-two years old. At a celebration of 
July 4, 1814, at Lexington, among the guests was 
Hon. William Eustis. It is certain that, although 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINlSrATI. 227 

not born there, he felt a strong interest in Lex- 
ington. In the old cemetery of that place — 
where according to his wish he was buried by 
his mother's side, is 9, handsome monument over 
the remains of Governor Eustis and his wife, 
who was Caroline, daughter of Hon. Woodbury 
Langdon of New Hampshire, and survived him 
many years. 

I recollect well the form and face of Governor 
Eustis, whom I saw frequently while he was in 
office. He was quite tall and graceful, — his eyes a 
dark blue, and his complexion florid. Like very 
many of the Revolutionary officers he returned 
from the war poor. He once said : " With but 
a single coat, four shirts, and one pair of woollen 
stockings, in the hard winter of 1780, I was one 
of the happiest men on earth." 

Isaac Parker succeeded his brother Elias — 
who was in the battle of Bunker Hill and served 
through the war — in the Society of the Cincin- 
nati in 1830. He was Royal Professor of Law in 
Harvard University while I was in college, and 
his lectures excited great interest in my class. He 
was pleasant, and sometimes facetious, in his inter- 
course with us. I recollect, on one occasion, when, 
having driven out of Boston, he came to the door 
of Harvard Hall, where he gave his lectures. We 
students had gathered around the door, and, not 
withdrawing, as was proper at his approach, and 
he being a stout man requiring wide space, he 



228 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

said jocosely to us, " Open to the right and left ; " 
and suiting the action to the word, he wielded his 
whip to part us. 

Isaac Parker was born in Boston, June 17, 1768, 
and was the eighth son of Daniel and Margaret 
( Jarvis) Parker. He graduated at Harvard College 
in 1786 ; studied law with Judge Tudor ; settled as 
a lawyer in Portland in 1801, and in Boston in 
1806 ; was a member of Congress from the Maine 
District of Massachusetts, 1797-99 ; president of 
the Massachusetts Constitutional Convention in 
1820 ; professor of law, in Harvard University, 
1816-27 ; associate judge of the Supreme Court 
of Massachusetts, 1806-14, and chief-justice from 
1814 until his death, July 26, 1830. He was a 
member of the American Academy of Arts and 
Sciences, the Bible Society, and many others, and 
always active in his place. He received the degree 
of LL. D. from Harvard Colleu:e in 1814. "For 
more than a quarter of a century he was one of 
the most influential men in the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts. This influence was noiseless and 
constant; it was found in the temples of justice 
and the halls of legislation, in the seminaries of 
learning, at the ballot-box, on change, in the social 
circle, — everywhere. He had genius without ec- 
centricity, and learning without pedantry. In him 
firmness was united to flexibility, and delicacy 
wdth decision." 

John Popkin was of a Welsh family; born in 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 229 

Boston in 1743, and died in Maiden, Massachu- 
setts, May 8, 1827. Before the Revolutionary 
War he was a member of Paddock's Artillery 
Company. In the army he was a captain of artil- 
lery in Gridley's Regiment, and was in the battle 
of Bunker Hill, and at the siege of Boston. He 
was commissioned captain in Knox's Artillery, and 
was in the battle of White Plains ; was made 
major in Greaton's Regiment, January 1, 1777 ; 
was aide to General Lincoln at Saratoga, and com- 
missioned lieutenant-colonel of Crane's Artillery 
Regiment, July 15, 1777, in which he continued 
until the disbanding of the army in 1783. After 
the war he resided in Bolton and in Maiden, Mas- 
sachusetts. He was an inspector of customs in 
Boston, and walked to and from Maiden, four 
miles, every day, from 1789 until he was more 
than eighty-four years old. 

John S. Popkin was the eldest son of Colonel 
John Popkin, whom he succeeded in the Society 
of the Cincinnati in 1827. I knew him well, from 
my entrance in college to the close of his life. He 
was born in Boston, June 19, 1771, and died in 
Cambridge, Massachusetts, March 2, 1852. He 
graduated at Harvard College in 1792 ; was Greek 
tutor there from 1795 to 1798; professor of the 
Greek language, 1815-26 ; Eliot Professor of Greek 
literature, 1826-33. He received the honorary 
degree of D. D. from Harvard College in 1815. 
He had been pastor of the Federal Street Church 



230 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ill Boston (Dr. Channing's) from 1799 to 1802, 
and of the First Cliurcli in Newbury from 1804 
to 1815. 

When I entered college he examined me in 
Grffica Minora, and my class recited to him for 
three years. He was a model of thorougli instruc- 
tion, and kindly, gentle, and impartial in his man- 
ner. He would assist a student in such a way as 
to call out his ability, without making him indolent 
or in danger of leaning too much on his teacher. 
His hearing was not perfect, and roguish youth 
would sometimes take advantage of this infirmity. 
A student in a class after mine, was once " taken 
up" by him on a lesson in history, of which branch 
the Professor was for a lomx time the teacher. 
" A — , who was the third king of France ? " The 
student replied promptly, as if certain of being 
right. ''What did you say?" asked the unsus- 
pecting Professor. The answer was very quick, 
and might sound like several short names. On a 
repetition of the confusing word, — "I am a little 
deaf," said the Doctor, "but I believe vou are 
right." " Very for," whispered a fellow-student, 
"from the truth." 

In important business transactions with Dr. 
Popkin 1 found him very exact, as accurate as he 
was in his college offices. Few men excelled 
him in a knowledge of practical affairs, and his 
integrity, honesty, and reliability were eminent ; 
the man was a counterpart of the scholar and 
instructor. 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 231 

Constant Freeman, an original member of 
the Society of the Cincinnati, was baptized at 
Charlestown, Massachusetts, February 27, 1757, 
and entered the Boston Latin School in 1766. He 
was commissioned lieutenant in Knox's Artillery in 
1776 ; was lieutenant and was acting captain in 
Crane's Artillery, October 1, 1778 ; appointed cap- 
tain in the United States Infantry, March, 1791, 
but declined ; afterward commissioned major in the 
regular army, lieutenant-colonel, brevet-colonel 
(July 10, 1812), and on the reduction of the army 
in 1815, was mustered out of service. He held 
offices in the navy department at Washington 
from 1816 until his death. Constant Freeman, his 
father, married, September 23, 1754, Lois Cobb, 
and had two children, Constant and Rev. James 
Freeman, D. D. Major Freeman died February 
27, 1824. 

Charles Henry Dayis was a son of Hon. 
Daniel Davis — whom I well recollect as a dignified 
and efficient public officer — and Lois Freeman, 
sister of Constant. Through her Admiral Davis 
succeeded, as nephew. Major Constant in the 
Society of the Cincinnati, in 1843. He was born 
in Boston, January 16, 1807 ; made A. M. by Har- 
vard College in 1841, and LL. D. in 1868. 

It was toward the close of his life, while spend- 
ing a season in company with him and Mrs. Davis, 
whom he married in 1842, that he deeply impressed 
me with those marked and commanding qualities 



232 REMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

which had led to his advancement, and honorable 
career through life. At the age of sixteen, Au- 
gust 12, 1823, he was appointed a midshipman in 
the United States Navy. He was made lieutenant 
March 3, 1834 ; commander, June 13, 1854 ; cap- 
tain, November 15, 1861 ; and rear-admiral, Febru- 
ary 7, 1863. He was fleet-captain in Dupont's 
expedition against Port Royal, in the War of the 
Rebellion, and distinguished himself in operations 
on the Mississippi River at Memphis and Vicks- 
buro:. He was also eminent as a mathematician 
and physicist, and contributed various papers to 
scientific journals upon " Tidal Carrents," the 
" Law of Deposit," etc. He wrote a paper on the 
" United States Coast Survey," in 1849 ; was 
founder of the '• Nautical Almanac,'' and super- 
intended it 1849-56 ; was chief of the bureau 
of navigation, Washington, in 1862; commander 
of the South Atlantic Squadron, 1867-69 ; and 
commandant of the navy-yard, at Norfolk, Vir- 
ginia, from 1873 to his death, February 18, 
1877'. 

Admiral Davis possessed large native abilities, 
which were highly cultivated. By his earnest 
spirit and rare industry he made most valuable 
contributions to science, while his practical skill 
and executive talent made him successful in what- 
ever he undertook. The country owes him a large 
debt for his patriotic and successful devotion in 
serving the Union in the late Civil War. His 
gentlemanly manners and extended information 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 233 

rendered him as agreeable in private as he was 
honored in pubUc. 

John Collins Warren was the eldest son of 
Dr. John and Abigail (Collins) Warren. His 
Dither was professor of anatomy and surgery in 
Harvard Collea^e from 1783 until his death, which 
occurred in 1815. His son, Dr. John C. Warren, 
studied medicine, anatomy, and surgery with him, 
he being a distinguished practitioner. The son 
had also the advantage of studying in the cele- 
brated hospitals of London and Paris. 

Dr. John Collins Warren was a nephew of Gen- 
eral Joseph Warren, and as such was admitted to 
the Society of the Cincinnati in 1854, under the 
rule adopted that year, having been elected previ- 
ously, in 1847, an honorary member. He was as- 
sistant professor of anatomy and surgery in Harvard 
College, 1805-15; full professor, 1815-47; and 
afterward professor emeritus. As he occupied 
the professor's chair while I was in college, I had 
an opportunity, in my senior year, to hear his ad- 
mirable course of lectures, and to know a good deal 
of him. I have before me an engraving of his 
portrait painted by Stuart, when he was but 
twenty-nine years old. The face is striking in its 
combination of streng;th and sweetness. The ruf- 
fled-bosomed shirt, high collar, and " choker " 
cravat give a good idea of the style of that period. 
His bright eye, Grecian nose, and finely formed 
mouth and chin show the great personal beauty, 



234 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of wliicli much remained when we saw him in his 
place as a lecturer. His manner might be called 
dry by one not interested in his subject, but with 
the details of anatomy he mingled much of his 
native facetiousness. Holding up before us one 
day part of a skeleton, he said : " You notice here 
a process — or rather you do not notice it, for it is 
wanting in this subject." He was recommending, 
at another time, moderation in diet. "If," said he, 
" you will set a plate by the side of that from which 
you take 3'our dinner, and place upon it, for each 
article, another portion of the same size as you 
eat, you will probably be astonished at the mass 
left before you. I see nothing but the weight of 
this accumulation that could carry such amounts 
through all the processes of digestion." 

Dr. Warren's long life — he was born August 1, 
1778, in Boston, and died there May 4, 1856 — 
was filled with activity, and he received its de- 
served honors. He began practice in Boston in 
1802, and became specially distinguished as a 
surgeon. He was, in 1846, the first to use ether 
in surgical operations. He was one of the found- 
ers of the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1820, 
and principal surgeon in daily attendance there 
until his death. He was also a founder of the 
McLean As3dum for the insane ; was president of 
the Massachusetts Medical Society 1832-36, and 
of the Boston Society of Natural History at his 
death ; and was a member of the principal scien- 
tific bodies in America and Europe. He devoted 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 235 

much of his later life to the natural sciences ; and 
his collections in comparative anatomy, osteology, 
and paleontolog}^, one of the best private collec- 
tions in the world, included the most perfect 
skeleton of a mastodon known to exist. He was 
an earnest friend of temperance, and for many 
years president of the Massachusetts TemiDcrance 
Society. He was mainly instrumental in establish- 
ing the " Boston Medical and Surgical Journal," 
and from 1828, for some years, was its associate 
editor. He also wrote and published numerous 
treatises upon medical and other subjects. 

Daniel Webster was unanimously admitted 
an honorary member of the Massachusetts Society 
of the Cincinnati, at the annual meeting July 4, 
1851. His father, Hon. Ebenezer Webster, al- 
though not a member of the Cincinnati, was in 
the military service of the Revolutionary War. 
He WHS a captain in the New Hampshire line, and 
foiisrht in the memorable battle of Benninsi-ton. 

For his surpassing intellectual ability, his emi- 
nence as a lawyer and his distinguished services 
as a statesman, for his patriotism and his deep in- 
terest in our Revolution, in all its civil as well as 
military aspects and relations, the name of Daniel 
Webster should appear in this book. 

Keeping the main purpose of this volume in 
view, I shall only bring forward a few personal 
reminiscences of him and his w^ork. I first heard 
him in the year 1822, when he was in the prime 



236 REMIXISCEJ^CES AND MEMORIALS. 

of manhood. lie was then arguing, in the Su- 
preme Court of Massachusetts, a case where the 
validity of a will was in controversy. The con- 
test was between the heirs of the deceased and a 
certain church, to which, it was contended, unduly 
influenced by its clergyman, tlie testator in his 
last hours had devised most of his property. 
Mr. Webster claimed that the deceased was then 
too feeble in mind to make a true will. His whole 
argument was a masterly production ; but one an- 
ecdote, related in his impressive manner, I particu- 
larly recollect. It was an incident which occurred 
in Spain. A rich Catholic on his death-bed was 
visited by a certain friar, and in solemn form was 
thus interrogated : " Is it your last will and testa- 
ment that your estate in Andalusia shall be given 
to Holy Mother Church ? " The dying man re- 
plied, " Yes." The friar proceeded : " Is it your 
last will and testament that your estate in Cas- 
tile be given to Holy Mother Church?" The 
answer was, " Yes." And thus the eager ecclesi- 
astic went on until the son of the testator who 
stood near, anxious lest his dying parent would 
will away his entire property, angrily interposed : 
" Father, is it your last will and testament that I 
should take your gold-headed cane and drive this 
friar out of the chamber ? " " Yes," was the still 
afhrmative reply. The dramatic power with which 
this thrilling story was told produced an electric 
effect on every one present. The intellectual 
force and moral enthusiasm, the majestic form, 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 237 

leonine voice, and fire-winged eye of the speaker, 
and the apparently consecrated absorption of his 
inmost nature in the matter at issue, gave a meas- 
ureless power to his condensed and commanding 
language. 

After hearing; Mr. Webster in his memorable 
eulogy on the death of Adams and Jefferson, 
which occurred July 4, 1826, and on other public 
occasions, in the year 1840 I became personally ac- 
quainted with him. It was at a dinner given, 
during the heat of the Harrison campaign, to the 
lion. W. J. Graves of Kentucky, then a member 
of Congress. I recall the circle that gathered 
there. It was at Porter's Hall in Cambridge. 
The eye and ear of every individual were directed 
to one and another, as thev came in with fresh 
news of some State announced as for the hero of 
North Bend. No one listened more eagerly to 
these tidinirs than Mr. Webster. Who could ever 
forget that grand figure, the broad shoulders and 
capacious chest, the blue coat and bright buttons, 
the buff vest, that broad and massive forehead 
beetling above his powerful features, his thick 
glossy hair of a jet blackness, those large, dark and 
beaming eyes, that exquisitely carved mouth, those 
versatile, fascinating lips, that radiant smile, the 
childlike glee, his irrepressible humor, and the 
merry ring of his contagious laugh ? At the head 
of the table sat our noble Webster; on his right, 
Mr. Graves, the guest from Kentucky ; next the 
accomplished and dignified Everett, then governor 



238 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of the Commonwealth, and second only in attrac- 
tiveness to the master of the feast. On his left 
sat Robert C. Winthrop, the orator and statesman, 
whose offices in Congress, as representative and 
speaker of the house, and member of the sen- 
ate, covering a period of many eventful years, 
were a deserved tribute to his own merits, no 
less than to one in the illustrious line of the 
Winthrops. 

I shall refer to but one other of the many occa- 
sions on which Mr. AYebster showed his power at 
the bar. When at the height of his fame he ar- 
gued a case in the District Court of Boston, with 
William Wirt as opposing counsel. Wirt then stood 
at the summit of his reputation as a leader of the 
bar, combining native genius with liberal culture. 
That was one of the red-letter days in the legal 
calendar ; it was as if Demosthenes and Cicero 
should stand up as opponents in the same forum. 
Wirt represented the classic orator of Rome. He 
presented a figure large and imposing, like his an- 
tagonist, — a face of winning sweetness, a smile to 
charm, a rich, almost perfectly modulated voice — 
and his gestures, replete with grace, took captive 
the mass of earnest listeners who crowded the 
court room. Many ladies, as well as gentlemen, 
were present. Mr. Wirt, in his exordium, casting 
a glance on the multitude, alluded felicitously to 
the dryness of the law, and regretted that, instead 
of bringing graces which might entertain the im- 
agination, he was to lead those present " through 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 239 

the arid paths and over the barren plams of the 
law." But such was the magnetism of the man 
himself that, quite independently of his argument, 
we were enchained by the spell of his manner. 

Mr. Webster by his crystal clearness of thought, 
his compressed sentences, and deliberate and pon- 
derous utterance, — and by those pauses, hardly 
less impressive than the words that preceded and 
followed them, — carried bench, bar, ladies, and 
even the sternest of the men to the last step of his 
honored and triumphant march. 

Hamilton Fish was born in New York City, 
August 3, 1808. His father, NichoLas Fish, was 
an officer in the Revolution, and an original mem- 
ber of the Society of the Cincinnati. He led he- 
roically at Yorktown, was an excellent disciplina- 
rian, and enjoyed the confidence of Washington. 
In 1797 he was chosen president of the New York 
Society of the Cincinnati. He was a man of ele- 
gant scholarship, and of great refinement and 
cultivated manners. His portrait expresses bravery 
and strength, joined with attractive and winning 
quiilities of character. Hamilton Fish succeeded 
his father in the Society of the Cincinnati. He 
graduated at Columbia College in 1827; he was 
admitted to the bar in 1830; was in the legislature 
of New York in 1837; representative in Congress, 
1843-45; heutenant-governor of New York, 1847 
-49 ; governor of New York, 1849-51 ; United 
States Senator, 1851-57. In 18G2 he was a mem- 



240 REMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ber of the commission to visit the soldiers confined 
in Confederate prisons ; in March, 1869, he was 
appointed secretary of state by President Graiit, 
which office he held eight years. He was presi- 
dent of the New York Historical Society in 1880, 
and president of the Union League Club. 

In 1854 he was elected president of the National 
Society of the Cincinnati, and still holds that 
office. I received valuable information by letter 
from him in regard to members of that Society, 
and prize highly his autograph. He was present 
at the dinner of the Phi Beta Kappa Society of 
Harvard University, in 1871, when he received 
from that institution the degree of LL. D. ; which 
honor he had previously received from Columbia 
and Union colleges in New York. I occupied a 
seat near him, and was impressed by his classic 
face, which expresses intellectual power with moral 
eminence. His dignified and eloquelit speech on 
that occasion was worthy the high position and 
character of the man. 

The wife of Hamilton Fish was great-great- 
.granddaughter of Governor Stuyvesant of New 
York. 

COBB FAMILY. 

David Cobb, an original mendDer of the Society 
of the Cincinnati, was born in Attleborough, Mas- 
sachusetts, September 14, 1748, and died April 17, 
1830. His record is highly honorable. He gradu- 
ated at Harvard College in 1766. In 1777 he was 



SOCIETY OF THE CINCINNATI. 241 

lieutenant-colonel of Henry Jackson's Eeghnent, 
and was distinguished by Revolutionary services in 
New Jersey and Rhode Island. He was aide-de- 
camp to Washington from June 15, 1781, to 1783 ; 
and took part in the capture of Cornwallis ; he 
was made lieutenant-colonel, commanding the Fifth 
Regiment, January 7, 1783, and afterward briga- 
dier-general by brevet. He ^vas in the Massachu- 
setts House of Representatives, 1789-93; and a 
member of Congress, 1793-95 ; member of the 
Executive Council in 1808 ; president of the Mas- 
sachusetts Senate, 1801-04 ; lieutenant-governor cf 
Massachusetts in 1809; resident of Maine, 1799- 
1820; chief-justice of the Court of Common 
Pleas, 1803-09 ; major-general of the Fifth Divis- 
ion of Massachusetts Militia ; vice-president of the 
Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati, 1810-11. 
He was a member of the Academy of Arts and 
Sciences, and of the Massachusetts Medical Society. 
His portrait was, on February 23, 1882, presented 
by Hon. S. C. Cobb to the State ; and— a richly 
deserved honor — it was that day placed in the 
Massachusetts Senate chamber, with addresses by 
the president of the senate and other members of 
that body. 

Samuel Crocker Cobb is a grandson of Gen- 
eral David Cobb, and was born in Taunton, Massa- 
chusetts, May 22, 1826. He was admitted to the 
Society of the Cincinnati in 1856 ; was its secretary 
1865-71, its vice-president in 1871, and president 

16 



242 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

in 1880. Mr. Cobb was an alderman of the city of 
Roxbury in 1861 and 18G2 ; he was president of 
the Roxbiiry Charitable Society, and held other 
important public trusts in that city. He was 
mayor of the city of Boston, 1874-76, in which 
office he manifested an energy, courage, and firm 
non-partisanship which, with his inbred courtesy, 
good judgment, and experience, made his admin- 
istration very popular. He was elected actuary of 
the Massachusetts General Hospital in 1880. He 
married Aurelia L. Beattie in 1848. They have 
no children. 

Mr. Cobb has been eminent in business, an 
honorable and successful merchant ; and his intelli- 
gence, high moral standing, and engaging manners 
have won for him confidence and respect both in 
private and public. 

I am indebted to him personally for valuable 
aid in relation to the General and State Societies 
of the Cincinnati, and for suo-gestions derived from 
other quarters through his courteous assistance. 




THE LIBERTY TREE, 



CHAPTER XIII. 

REVOLUTIONARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 

Among the families who retained personally or 
received by inheritance the military or naval 
spirit of the Revolution, are several too prominent 
to be overlooked. Passing by, of necessity, many 
to whom I would gladly do justice in this connec- 
tion, I can speak of a few only whose friendship I 
have enjoyed, and others whose acquaintance has 
been a privilege. 

Henry Dearborn was born in Hampton, New 
Hampshire, in March, 1751, and died at Rox- 
bury, Massachusetts, June 6, 1829. He was an 
original member, in New Hampshire, of the Society 
of the Cincinnati. In 1814, July 4, at a public 
dinner in Lexington, Massachusetts, I first saw 
General Dearborn. He w\as received with f>-reat 
enthusiasm, and I looked upon him with intense 
interest. His laro;e and command ino; ficrure, his 
rich military dress, his brave air, his martial 
face, and urbane manners attracted universal 
attention. 



24-1 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Henry Dearborn was practising medicine in 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, when, on the 20th 
of April, 1775, hearing of the battle of Lexing- 
ton, he immediately marched, with a company of 
sixty volunteers, and reached Cambridge, distant 
sixty-five miles, the next day. He was made a 
captain under General Stark; was at the battle 
of Bunker Hill, June 17; and accompanied Ar- 
nold on the expedition to Quebec. At that place 
he was taken prisoner, December 31, 1770, and 
was exchanged in March, 1777. He served as 
major at the capture of Burgoyne, September 10, 
the same year, and distinguished himself and his 
regiment by a brave charge at the battle of 
Monmouth, in April, 1778. He was in Sullivan's 
expedition against the Indians in 1779 ; was with 
the arm}' of Washington at Yorktown in 1781, as 
colonel of the First New Hampshire Eegiment ; 
in garrison duty in 1782 at Saratoga; and in the 
main army until the peace of 1783. 

He was appointed, by President Washington, 
marshal of the district of Maine ; was twice a 
member of Congress ; and for eight years, under 
Jefferson, was secretary of war. In 1812 he be- 
came senior major-general in the United States 
Army. In 1813 he captured York in Upper Can- 
ada, and Fort George at the mouth of tlie Niagara, 
and afterward was placed in command of the 
military district of New York. In 1815 he re- 
signed his commission in the army, and, after hold- 
ing for some years the office of collector of the port 



REVOLUTIONAKY MEN IX THE WAR OF 1812. 245 

of Boston, May 7, 1822, was appointed Minister to 
Portugal. At the end of ten years he left that 
position, at his own request. 

General Dearborn in his prime, and, as seen 
in his portrait painted by Stuart, was tall, well 
proportioned, and appeared very vigorous, fitted 
for the great toils and fatigues of his life. Hi-^ 
countenance and whole figure were dignified and 
commanding ; although in later years when I sasv 
him, he seemed somewhat encumbered with flesh. 
He was well fitted for the various offices, military 
and civil, which he held. His mind was solid 
and comprehensive, and improved constantly by 
culture. He had a native loftiness of character 
which forbade intrigue and duplicity, and was 
above envy and the low art of disparaging others 
to exalt himself. In his domestic and private life 
he w\as singularly happy ; and of his tw^o children 
one, who was the honored son of an honored 
father, appreciated his character and manifestly 
aimed to follow his precepts and copy his example. 

The connection of General Henry Dearborn 
with the War of 1812 leads me to speak of that 
contest, and of the fears and superstitions it 
awakened. I was but a small boy when war be- 
tween the United States and Great Britain was 
declared by Congress, through James Madison, then 
President. The country w^as intensely excited 
at that time by the animosities of the two great 
political parties. Federal and Democratic. My 
father wvas a warm Federalist, and of course I 



246 KEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

was a sage follower in liis path. I heard constantly 
of the wickedness of our rulers, called Jacobins, 
who had plunged us needlessly into the war, with 
all its atrocities and sufferings. The Indians were 
employed by our foe as allies, and when the scalps 
of our people were brought in, the British officers 
congratulated the savages for their bravery, and 
gold was paid them for these trophies. Again and 
again no quarter was given to prisoners, and the 
helpless and fallen were put to death. My young 
blood was chilled when I read in the papers such 
lano^uao-e as that of Admiral Cockburn — referriny^ 
to the conduct of the Russians in their contest 
with Napoleon — " The Cossacks spared Paris, but 
we did not spare the capital of America." I 
noticed many years since, when the Admiral died, 
the " London Times " lauded that act — although 
the capital was then entirely unprotected — as " a 
splendid achievement." I was shocked to hear of 
a British officer who went to a quiet house on 
* Chesapeake Bay, and, finding three young ladies 
there at tea, gave them only ten minutes to clear 
their house, and at the expiration of that time, set 
fire to the building. It seemed hardlj^ consistent 
in the organ of the British government, in our re- 
cent struggle to save the life of the nation, after 
having justified such acts, to lecture us, as it did, 
for our lust of power and our barbarity in war- 
fare, and to call England the guardian of civiliza- 
tion. Let us rejoice that a better spirit now 
prevails in our mother country. 



EEVOLUTIONAEY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 247 

I recall many- brave men Avhom I saw at that 
period, and among them the noble figure of 
General Miller, the hero of Fort Erie. How he 
towered np, as I looked on him afterward at my 
father's house, and thought of his glorious words 
when ordered to storm that fort : " I '11 try, sir." 

My pulse was stirred when an uncle returned 
from a privateering expedition — a good Christian 
man he was, too, and his course was thought no 
sin — and told us of his conflicts on the seas, and 
made us children presents from the trophies of his 
adventures. Among these things I remember a 
pair of nice gloves, enclosed in an English-walnut 
shell. 

My father, though opposed to the war, joined a 
company of " Lexington Exempts," and his gun 
and knapsack, marked with the initial of our town, 
stood in sight, ready for the call to the battle-field. 
We boys, too, formed our little company, of which 
I was proud to rank as ensign, with my redoubt- 
able tin sword and plush belt and cockade. Did 
not my heart swell with patriotism as we paraded 
throuo-li the streets ? Sometimes we had an 
evening drill, which was specially enjoyed when 
some generous friend would invite us to halt in 
front of his window, and would bring forth a lib- 
eral entertainment. 

The privations we suffered during the War of 
1812 were only second to those of our fathers in 
the Revolution. I can never forget the straits to 
which it brought us in the family. Nearly all im- 



248 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ported articles were beyond our means ; our gar- 
ments were of cheap fabrics. A blue broadcloth 
cloak of American manufacture, presented to my 
father, was made for long years to do service, until 
its threads could be almost counted. Not only 
foreign coffees and all the best teas were denied us, 
but at hist the miserable bohea tea and rye coffee 
were cut off from constant use ; and we would sit 
around our board, confined, one and all, to the oft- 
recurring baked apples and milk. 

Not only did the whole country feel the indirect 
pressure of want, but a fearful direct taxation con- 
sumed their very substance. The race of chil- 
dren then learned one virtue, to which many in 
the present day are strangers ; we acquired no 
taste for luxuries. Simple food, and moderate 
indulgence at the table, left us, in after life, 
with no cravings for the ten thousand superflu- 
ities which now so often injure both health and 
character. 

It was the custom throuo-hout the war to follow 
each great victory with some national song. Mrs. 
Margaret Sanderson, widow of Colonel Henry S. 
Sanderson, who died in New York in 1882 at the 
age of eighty-five years, was only fifteen years old 
at the time of the bombardment of Fort Mc- 
Henry in 1812 ; but she made with her own hands, 
out of costly silk, the flag which inspired Francis 
Scott Key to write the " Star-spangled Banner." 
She presented it to Colonel George Armstead, the 
commandant of the fort, just before the British 



REVOLUTIOXARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 249 

appeared in the bay. During the subsequent en- 
D-at'-ement the flau; floated over the fort, and was 
seen by Key while he was confined in a British 
man-of-war. After the war the flng was returned 
to its maker, and the original Star-spangled Ban- 
ner is one of the treasures of the Sanderson family. 
My youthful heart thrilled with fresh delight, as 
the noble Perry's achievement on Lake Erie, or 
the heroism of Hull in the old " Constitution," or 
some other like success, was set forth in quickening 

Nor was it our own country alone which called 
forth these poetic effusions. The fortunes of 
France were then watched with eager eyes ; and 
the little Federalists rejoiced with the older ones 
when the great Napoleon had at last been con- 
quered and captured; and when, as the song of 
the day ran, he was " cooped up in the Island of 
Elba."'^ When, after his ninety days' exile, his 
return, and renewed battles, tidings came of his 
Waterloo defeat, and I saw Boston illuminated for 
the victory of the " Holy Alliance," I joined, with 
my father and all the fathers of Federalism, in 
shouting the loud pa3an of the hour. 

After a struggle of nearly three years' duration 
the war terminated. Although this Avas more 
than sixty years ago, I recollect the very spot 
where I stood, by the stove in the old, one-story 
schoolhouse, when, February 13, 1815, a compan- 
ion whispered to me as he came in, "There is 
peace." A jubilee at once filled our young hearts, 



250 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and precious little study was there through that 
long afternoon. In the evening the two field- 
pieces of our artillery company were dragged 
through the deep snow to the venerated Com- 
mon of Revolutionary fame, and a salvo was 
fired to which all hearts responded. Erelong I 
joined with the older boys of our party in the^a^ 
cVe spruit of the hour: "Peace ratified; Federalists 
gratified ; Democrats mortified." 
~ My paternal grandfather, full of personal memo- 
ries of the great contest of 1775, designated this 
sliort and comparatively unimportant conflict as 
" the Sixpenny War of 1812." But it was claimed 
by many, at the time, that our glorious victories, 
especially those by sea and on the lakes, vindicated 
our national honor on the water as on the land, 
and made Great Britain pay us a more just 
respect. 

Many thought the fearful events of that period 
were the frowns of Providence on our wicked war. 
As I look back to those years, they seem to me 
full of thrilling experiences. Soon after the war, 
in September, 1815, occurred that memorable gale 
which sent terror throughout our community. It 
began between eight and nine o'clock in the fore- 
noon, coming from the southeast, and continued 
about four hours. Houses and barns were blown 
down, chimneys were overthrown, and windows 
dashed in ; the tides in Boston and Cambridge, 
we heard, were fearfully high ; and in the latter 
place a vessel was washed up from the shore and 



REVOLUTIONARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 251 

driven into the main street of the town, I saw, 
during the morning; trees of the hirger size up- 
rooted in every direction. A new shed one hun- 
dred feet long, which my father had built for his 
hotel, was taken up, carried high in the air as if 
by a giant's hand, and dropped a long way from 
its foundation. I followed my father to one of 
his houses, where he saw the roof at one end be- 
ginning to rise, and rushed with him to the attic, 
where, axe in hand, he dashed out the windows at 
tlie other end, and thus saved the unroofing of the 
house. The air, at the distance of thirteen miles 
from the ocean, was so saturated with salt water 
that it was difficult to breathe. This was Satur- 
day ; and the next day the church was not opened, 
for the roads were all so covered with trees up- 
rooted and blown into them, that, as was said, " the 
people could not ride to meeting.'.' 

Still another calamity. The very next year 
the weather was fearfully cold. The first of May, 
1816, there was talk about " spots on the sun ; " 
and, as we looked through smoked glass, we could 
see them very plainly. They continued on through 
June, and in July the same or similar spots were 
clearly to be seen. Some evenings we had to 
make fires in order to be comfortable. There 
were heavy frostsk, and many vegetables were cut 
down. Several mornings ice was to be seen nearly 
half an inch thick. There was, in the month of 
June, snow enough to nearly cover the ground. 
In July and August it was less cold, although 



252 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

there were, in some places, slight frosts ; but in 
September snow fell several hours in succession. 
The crop of corn was nearly all destroyed on my 
father's land. We stripped the ears, but they 
turned black, and we could not even use the corn 
for our cattle. The next spring, seeds of many 
kinds were sold, not by measure, but by number. 

This loss of the crops, with the frightful debt 
brought on our country by the war, was the con- 
stant talk in every place. We were obliged to 
straiten ourselves in clothing, in every kind of in- 
dulgence, and even in our food. The hungry boy 
was only too happy, some times, in having his 
appetite satisfied with what was too meagre for 
his elders. 

The superstitions of that period led us to look 
with terror on what we, in 1882, call beautiful. 
The fiery comet of 1811 was thought to have been 
sent as a harbiny^er of the dread war of the next 
year. It was said " the beetles had a W on their 
backs, predicting war." It had been forgotten 
that this same prophetic letter is always there. 
Some said, " The end of the world is near." Many 
a day, in the autumn of that same 3'ear, as I looked 
up and saw the smoke in the air, caused in reality 
by forest fires, I trembled, as did older spectators, 
at the idea that the burning up of the earth 
had begun, and the Judgment Day must be 



commg. 



An incident of this conflict illustrates the roman- 
tic fortunes of war, and shows that, like peace, it 



REVOLUTION-ARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 253 

has, in its history, truths stranger than fiction. 
Abram Johnson, recently (1881) died at Salem, 
Pennsylvania, having attained the great age of 
one hundred and eight years. He was bom in 
Vermont in 1773. Mr. Johnson enhsted in the 
army in the War of 1812. He was made captain 
of a company of Oneida Indians, under the com- 
mand of General Macomb. He was at the battle 
of Plattsburg, and received several wounds in that 
engagement. One of these was made by a bayonet- 
thrust in the knee, and another was a sabre-cut in 
the neck. He was left as dead. He was taken 
from the field after the battle by his Indian soldiers. 
Oneida, the sixteen-year-old daughter of a chief, 
nursed him until he was able to go out again. 
They loved each other and, when peace was re- 
stored, were married. Johnson and his Indian 
bride went to Sussex County, New Jersey. There 
they settled down and had a daughter. When 
this girl was twelve years old her mother's health 
had failed so that her life was despaired of. She 
longed to go back to her people. Her husband 
took her to her old home among the Oneidas. 
There she soon afterward died, and was buried 
with all the ceremonies of her tribe. The daug-h- 
ter found a home in a family in Sussex County. 
When she grew up she joined the Oneida Indians, 
and married the son of a chief. Her father gained 
a competency at farming. He lost his money 
through unlucky speculation, and finally became a 
town charge and died a pauper. His mind was 
sound up to the time of his death. 



254 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

One of the anticipated signs of the end of the 
world was thought to be the earthquake of 1814. 
I well remember the terror of the night on which 
it occurred. One of my sisters said to me : "I 
hope this is not for our warning only ; I shall ask 
our neighbors in the morning if they felt it too." 
And when we learned that it extended to other 
places, and perhaps over the whole country, we 
joined in the prevailing opinion that it was '' a 
judgment upon the people." 

An Association of Veterans of the War of 1812 
was formed in 1853, and continued until October, 
1879. At the time of its dissolution, the surviving 
members met in Boston for that purpose. There 
were sixteen veterans present ; the youngest was 
seventy-nine and the oldest ninety-two years of 
age. The sum of their asres was thirteen hundred 
and fifty-one years. The venerable president, 
Hon. Charles Hudson of Lexino-ton, at the ao:e of 
eighty-four, made a patriotic and affecting address. 
With happy recollections of the past, he said: '-On 
the wliole we have reason to rejoice in the part we 
took in the war which supplemented and perfected 
the treaty of 1783, and secured to our commerce 
the freedom of the seas and gave us the rights and 
prerogatives of a sovereign nation." In the closing 
portion of his address he said : " And now, fellow- 
soldiers and comrades, as we are about to part to 
meet no more on earth, let us extend the hand of 
brotherhood, and say, as none but soldiers can in 
the same spirit, Farewell ! " 



REVOLUTIONARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 255 

Henry Alexander Scammell Dearborn was 
born in Exeter, New Hampshire, March 3, 1783, 
and died in Portland, Maine, July 29, 1851. He 
became a member of the Massachusetts Society of 
the Cincinnati in 1832, and was president of the 
General Society, 1848-51. I saw him often in 
public offices and situations, especially in military 
capacities, and was struck with his finely propor- 
tioned figure, his manly and intelligent face, his 
martial bearing when on parade, and his dignified 
and courteous manner in society. I was for several 
years associated with him as a member of the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society, of which he 
was at one time president. We have a fine por- 
trait of him, taken while in that office, hanging on 
the walls of our Horticultural Hall. 

He was active among the original founders of 
the Mount Auburn Cemeterv, with which the 
Massachusetts Horticultural Society is closely 
connected. 

He graduated at William & Mary College in 
1803 ; studied law with William Wirt and after- 
ward with Judge Story. He was collector of the 
port of Boston 1813-29 ; commanded the troops 
in Boston Harbor in 1812, and was brigadier- 
general of the Massachusetts Militia in 1814. He 
was a member of the Massachusetts Constitutional 
Convention in 1820 ; representative in the legis- 
lature from Roxbury in 1830 ; member of Congress 
1831-33; adjutant-general of Massachusetts 1834 
-43, and mayor of Roxbury 1847-51. He was 



256 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

active in originating and founding the Bunker Hill 
Monument Association ; in completing the Hoosac 
Tunnel, and inaugurating the Forest Hills Ceme- 
tery. He wrote many books : " Commerce and 
Navigation of the Black Sea " in 1819 ; " Letters on 
the Internal Improvement and Commerce of the 
West" in 1839, and the "Life of the Apostle 
Eliot." He left unpublished materials for several 
volumes, among them a " Histor}^ of Bunker 
Hill Battle," lives of Colonel William Raymond 
Lee, Commodore Bainbridge, and his father. 
General Henry Dearborn. 

He was very popular in society. His house was 
the abode of hospitality. Every important enter- 
prise, public or private, received his encourage- 
ment and aid. He was a member of the American 
Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American An- 
tiquarian Society, Massachusetts Historical Society, 
New England Historic Genealogical Society, and 
the American Association for the Advancement of 
Science. His surpassing industry is shown in the 
fact that, in addition to the above-named works, 
he left unpublished a Diary, in forty-five volumes ; 
" Grecian Architecture," two volumes folio ; a vol- 
ume on Flowers, with drawings, and a " Harmony 
of the Life of Christ," eight volumes. 

AViLLiAM Hull was born in Derby, Connecticut, 
June 24, 1753. He was an original member of the 
Society of the Cincinnati. He graduated at Yale 
College, with honor in 1772, and was admitted to 



REVOLUTIONARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 257 

the bar in 1775. In April of that year he was 
made captain of a company, and marched with Col- 
onel Webb's Regiment to Cambridge. This regi- 
ment was in the battles of Brooklyn and White 
Plains. In December, 1776, at the engagement of 
Trenton, Captain Hull acted as field-officer of his 
regiment. July 1, 1777, he was made major in the 
Eighth Massachusetts Regiment; and before the 
battle of Princeton he rendered important service 
to Washington. In April, 1777, he marched with 
three hundred men to Ticonderoga ; and on the re- 
treat to the Hudson River, Major Hull received the 
thanks of General Schuyler. He took part in the 
capture of Burgoyne, October, 1777, and at the 
battle of Monmouth in 1778. After valuable ser- 
vices he was promoted to be lieutenant-colonel, 
August 12, 1779. About this time the appoint- 
ment of aide to General Washington was offered 
to Colonel Hull, but circumstances prevented its 
acceptance. In January 1781, for his gallant con- 
duct of a force against the British at Morrisania, 
he received the thanks of Washington and of Con- 
gress. He was complimented by the Commander- 
in-chief, when he escorted him with his troops into 
New York on the evacuation of that place by the 
British. When, December 4, 1783, Washington 
took leave of his officers in New York and dis- 
banded the army, excepting one regiment, Col- 
onel Hull was selected by him for lieutenant- 
colonel of that reo^iment. 

When General Hull returned to Boston he was 

17 



258 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

made successively judge of the court of common 
pleas, major-general of the Third Division of Mas- 
sachusetts Militia, and senator in the State Legis- 
lature. In 1805 he was appointed by President 
Jefferson, governor of Michigan Territory. In 
1812 he reluctantly accepted the command of a 
military force to protect the northern frontier 
against the Indians. Subsequently he had com- 
mand as major-general in defending that region 
against the British troops, who were under the 
lead of General Brock ; and, apprehending an 
assault from him on Detroit, — where General Hull 
then was with his forces, — the latter, fearing the 
total destruction of his own army, as well as of that 
town, which contained, as a fort, a large gathering 
of helpless women and children, surrendered it to 
the enemy. 

On account of this surrender General Hull 
was charged, by a court-martial, in 1814, with 
neglect of duty, cowardice, and other offences, 
and was tried and condemned to death. But 
after sentence had been passed on him, President 
Madison declined to execute it. Public opinion, 
at first strongly against General Hull, was, on 
investigation, greatly changed ; and in 1825 a pub- 
lic dinner was given him, at which the leading men 
of Boston expressed their sympathy and respect 
for him. I believe posterity will render that jus- 
tice to him which a train of unhappy circumstances 
had led many to deny him. We should be slow 
to give credence to charges of cowardice and 



EEVOLUTIONARY MEN IN THE WAR OF 1812. 259 

treason ag.ainst a man who during his Revolution- 
ary services received the thanks of Washington 
and of Congress, and had the approbation of liis 
superior officers, and whose courage and patriot- 
ism at that time were never doubted. Althouo;h. 
when deprived of the auxiliary forces he had just 
reason to expect, he surrendered his military posi- 
tion at Detroit, it is by no means certain that this 
was not a wiser and more humane course, than to 
incur the risk of sacrificing his army and the town 
in those desperate circumstances. He avowed to 
the last his sense of right-doing in that act, and 
he was sustained also by many testimonials, both 
public and private, in his declining years. 

From 1786 his home was on his farm in Newton, 
Massachusetts, where he died peacefully, Novem- 
ber 29, 1825, at the age of seventy-two years. 




THE WASHINGTON TLM. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 

Christopher Raymond Perry was born at South 
Kingston, Rhode Island, in 1761, and died Jane 1, 
1818. He was in the service, both mihtary and 
naval, during the Revolutionary War. While in 
the navy his frigate was captured by the British, 
and he suffered for three months untold horrors 
in the fjimous Jersey prison-ship. In 1783, after 
peace was declared, he was appointed collector in 
a district of Rhode Island. 

In October, 1784, he married Sarah Alexander, 
a reputed descendant of Wallace of Scotland. 
They had a son, Oliver Hazard Pehry, born in 
Newport, Rhode Island, August 25, 1785. After 
his victory in the battle of Lake Erie, he was 
chosen an honorary member of the New York 
Cincinnati Society, October 21, 1813. 

He inherited from his mother an amiable 
disposition, joined wath courage and commanding 
qualities of character. Like her he possessed a 
warm temper, but kept it under admirable control. 
While at school he manifested a strong; mind, 
which he earnestly cultivated. He gave early 
promise of his future distinction. In 1799, when 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 261 

only fourteen years of age, he entered the navy 
as a midshipman, and was in active service under 
his father in the frigate " General Greene," in her 
cruise on the West India station in 1799 and 1800. 
In 1807 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, 
and in 1809 was in command of the schooner " Re- 
vena:e," and cruised on the coast of the United 
States until January 1811, when his vessel, with- 
out his fault, was wrecked. When the War of 1812 
opened he, at his own request, was placed on the 
lakes, under the command of Commodore Isaac 
Chauncey. He was soon called to aid an attack on 
Fort George, in which he acquired great credit. In 
August, 1813, in the momentary absence of a Brit- 
ish squadron then watching him, he employed the 
force, which he had equipped, to lift his larger ves- 
sels on " camels,'' and took them out of port ; and 
although deficient in officers and men, and poorly 
prepared, he brought the British squadron to an 
engagement, with complete success on his side. 
After co-operating with General Harrison in re- 
gaining possession of Detroit and transporting 
troops, and taking part in another battle, at the 
close of the campaign of 1813 he resigned his 
comm.and. Congress voted him a gold medal, and 
he was, dating from September 10, 1813, appointed 
to the " Java," and promoted in the service. In 
1814 he was employed in annoying the British 
squadron which sailed up the Potomac to destroy 
the public buildings at Washington, and was sta- 
tioned in the defence of Baltimore. March, 1819, 



262 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

he sailed, in command of a squadron, for the coast 
of Cohmibia. 

On the 1st of February, 1813, he received from 
Commodore Chauncey the following compliment : 
" You are the very person that I want for a par- 
ticular service, in which you may gain reputation 
for yourself and honor for your country." This 
service was the command of a naval force to be 
created on Lake Erie. Secretary Rogers wrote 
to him : " You will doubtless command in chief. 
Mr. Hamilton mentioned this to me two months 
past ; you may expect some warm fighting and, 
of course, a portion of honor." 

The world knows the result of this appointment. 
The battle on Lake Erie reads, in its details, like a 
romance. The prospect of a conflict between the 
American squadron with only fifty-four guns, and 
the British squadron under Commodore Barclay, 
wfth sixty-three guns, might have intimidated a 
man of less bravery than Perry ; but he was of 
that stern purpose that, conscious of the right, 
does not quail before numbers. . The battle on 
Lake Erie, September 10, 1813, opened at fifteen 
minutes before noon, and after two hours and 
three quarters the order was given to " close ac- 
tion." Perry, having quitted his ship, the '' Law- 
rence," in an open boat, for another ship, the 
" Niagara," after a desperate struggle, at three 
o'clock compelled Commodore Barclay to strike 
his flag; and at four o'clock the American hero 
wrote to General Harrison, then in command of 
our forces at the North : — 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 263 

Dear General : — We have met the enemy, and 
they are onrs. 

Yours with great respect and esteem, 

O. H. Perry. 

At the same hour he wrote in a spirit 
of religious humility to the Secretary of the 
Navy : — 

Sir : — It has pleased the Almighty to give to the 
arms of the United States a signal victory over their 
enemies on this lake. The British squadron, consisting 
of two ships, two brigs, one schooner, and one sloop, 
have this moment surrendered to the force under my 
command, after a sharp conflict. 

I have the honor to be, sir, 

Your obedient servant, 

O. H. Perry. 

The effects of this victory were instant and far- 
reaching. It created an unbounded enthusiasm, 
which found expression in many forms, and among 
all classes of people. Who that lived in those days 
can forget that when, in the spring of 1814, Com- 
modore Perry visited the theatre in Boston, the 
stage exhibited the inspiring motto : " The Hero 
of the Lake, on the glorious 10th of September, 
1813." The man who had seen but twenty- 
eight years, on the day of this world-renowned 
victory, was greeted with the applause seldom 
won except by veterans on seas or fields. Ameri- 
can poetry celebrated its triumph in strains which 
stirred the hearts of old and young. I recall a 



264 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

few lines of one of these effusions, which we boys 
of the clay repeated through the streets with the 
utmost glee. Its wit turns upon the fact that 
perry was the name of a beverage then in com- 
mon use, made from pears, as cider is from apples. 

Before the Battle. 

Bold Barclay one day 

To Proctor did say : 
" I'm tired of Jamaica and Sherry, 

So let us go down 

To that new floating town. 
And get some American Perry. 

Pleasant American Perry, — 

Sparkling American Perry." 

After the Battle. 
'' cursed American Perry." 

This splendid achievement gave courage to a 
desponding people, and led to the overthrow of 
British power in the great Northwestern territory 
of the United States. It animated the whole coun- 
try until the close of the war. 

The name of the youthful hero, then but 
twenty-eight years old, was on all lips. It was em- 
blazoned in the journals of the day, repeated with 
enthusiasm in the streets, placed on the signs of 
taverns, and given to halls and other buildings, 
public and private. It was worn as a badge by 
both sexes, and placed on articles of household 
use. I have before me a snuffbox, probably some 
seventy years old, bearing on one side a well 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 265 

executed representation of the bcattle, with its 
ships, and the Commodore passing, in the heat of 
the contest, in an open boat, from one vessel to 
another. Underneath is the inscription, not ele- 
gant but expressing the spirit of the times : — 

VICTORY OF THE LAKE ERIE. 

Reported by the American over the English the 10th 
of September 1813. The Commodore Perry fights 
alone with his ship all the Enemy's squadron com- 
manded by the English Commodore Barclay, all to be 
reduced to be nothing more than carcasses — then he 
goes on board the Niagara, continues the battle, ended 
by tjie total destruction of the English division. 

Nota The English General Barclay, was tried on ac- 
count of the defeat. 

On the other side of the snuffbox is a likeness 
of Commodore Perry. I have seen many pictures 
of the Commodore, but this, I think, not excepting 
the portrait of him by Stuart, is perhaps the most 
striking of them all. It corresponds to his youth- 
ful age. The head is large and well proportioned ; 
the ej^es full and expressing intellect and energy ; 
the nose inclined to a Roman shape ; the mouth 
with a clear Cupid's bow, firm, yet amiable ; and 
the chin marked bv decision and self-control. The 
family speak of him as a handsome man. His 
face has nothing, however, feminine in its form or 
expression ; it is manly, determined, remarkable 
for its intelligence, and indicates a man as great in 
action as he was noble in thought and pure in 
heart. 



266 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

The Commodore liacl a son named Oliver II. 
Perry, Jr., who, a boy at the thne of his father's 
death, himself afterward entered the navy. He 
eventually left it for mercantile pursuits. Com- 
modore Perry had five children, one of whom 
married Rev. Dr. Francis Vinton of New York 
City. 

It w%as my good fortune to be 2:)resent, July 4, 
1838, at a celebration on Lake Erie, on the very 
scene, it was said, of the battle. A bright day 
and a fine oration, with stirring music, filled all 
present with patriotic memories of the great vic- 
tory achieved on that spot. 

In 1860, September 10, the inauguration of a 
marble statue by William Walcutt, to the memory 
of Commodore Oliver H. Perry, took place at 
Cleveland, Ohio, when Hon. Georice Bancroft jrave 
an oration. An address was given by Usher Par- 
sons, M. D., surgeon at the battle of Lake Erie; 
and others followed, among whom was Oliver 
Hazard Perry of Andover, Massachusetts, the only 
surviving son of Commodore Perry. Hosea Sar- 
gent, who helped fire the last gun of the battle, 
and bore the flag of the '•' Lawrence " to the Com- 
modore in his boat as he took command of the 
" Niagara," was present. Thomas Brownell, pilot 
of the "Ariel" on that day, was also present. 

It Mill be remembered that the town of New- 
port, Pvhode Island, the native place of Commo- 
dore Perry, presented him with a vase eighteen 
inches high, of solid silver ; it has on its sides two 



OLIVER HAZARD PERRY. 267 

sketches of the battle, finely engraved. This is in 
the possession of his grandson, Oliver Hazard Perry, 
^vho has also a sextant which the British com- 
mander, Commodore Barclay, presented to Com- 
modore Perry, " as a memento of his regard," 
on taking leave of him soon after the day of the 
battle. In return Commodore Perry forwarded 
to Barclay, some months after, a highly finished 
American rifle, made expressly for him by a cele- 
brated gunsmith of Albany. 

The following testimonial of Surgeon Parsons, 
on the character of Commodore Perry, is invalua- 
ble : " Possessed of high-toned moral feeling, he 
was above the low dissipation and sensuality that 
many officers of his day were prone to indulge in. 
His conversation was remarkably free from pro- 
fanity and indelicacy, and in his domestic character 
he was a model of every domestic virtue and grace. 
Every germ of merit in his officers was sure to be 
discovered and encouraged by him. . . . Generous 
to the full extent of his means, his elegant hospi- 
tality reflected great honor on our navy." He 
connnends also his mental culture and habits of 
" patient thought," and the perfect order and 
discipline on his ships and among his officers and 
men. 

Unhappily the invaluable life of Commodore 
Perry was cut short in its prime. He died at Port 
Spain, Island of Trinidad, on his birthday, August 
25, 1819, at the age of thirty-four years, of a pain- 
fid disease, surrounded with every discomfort, yet 



2G8 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



with a calmness and resignation honorable to his 
character and worthy of his renown. 

Matthew Calbraith Perry, brother of the pre- 
ceding, was born in South Kingston in 1795, and 
died in New York Cit}^ March 4, 1858. He w^as 
chosen an honorary member of the Society of the 
Cincinnati on the same day with his brother. This 
was an honor well merited by his distinction in the 
United States Navy, from the day when he entered 
the service as midshipman, and served under Com- 
modores Rodgers and Decatur, to his crowning 
work, beginning March 2, 1852, when he was ap- 
pointed to the command of the Japan expedition, 
which opened the way to our present commerce 
with that country. His skill and indomitable en- 
ergy and perseverance gave him a signal position 
in our navul history. 




THE HOLMES HOUSE. 



CHAPTER XV. 

PERSONAL APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONARY 

OFFICERS. 

Although it is not always safe to judge of 
character by personal appearance and impression, 
there is often a striking correspondence between 
the two. This is to be noticed both in the mili- 
tary and naval history of our country. In turn- 
ing over a volume prepared to exhibit the names, 
characters, and achievements of several of our 
American military officers, I was impressed by the 
remarkable personal appearance of many of these 
men. 

The frontispiece of that volume gives us the 
picture of Washington so often presented, yet a 
subject which can never cease to interest. Who 
ever tires of looking at the portrait of this man ? 
See his tall and well-proportioned figure, so manly 
and connnanding in its every part. Those features 
— grave, dignified, expressing inward vigor (al- 
though in complete repose), courage, steadiness of 
purpose, and perseverance united with caution — 
indicate the good soldier and the equally good 
statesman, wise, calm, but replete with earnest- 
ness. They bring before us an individual, in some 



270 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

moods all thouglitfulness, in others a hero, the em- 
bodiment of decision and intense activity. They 
express candor, sincerity, and simplicity, joined 
with kindness, and a humanity which was pained 
to see a man even justly punished, and was in- 
tent on relieving the sick and suffering. They 
show also an intellect guided by the highest moral 
principle, and a religious faith ever looking toward 
and leaning upon the divine Providence. The com- 
mander-in-chief of the Revolutionary army carried 
with him a personal air and manner that supple- 
mented the influence of that rare wisdom which 
gave him power and ascendancy at the head of 
the nation, alike in military and civil affiiirs. To 
see him while he lived was much more than to 
hear of his deeds or to read the truest description 
of his life and actions. In lookino; on that noble 
figure, and resting one's eyes on that grand face, 
there is nothing to detract from his fame, but 
everything to enhance it. 

Many scenes occurred, both in the military and 
civil experiences of Washington, any one of which 
furnishes a vivid picture of his personal appear- 
ance, — as when he took command of the army at 
Cambridge ; or when, with three thousand men 
around him, crying from their huts, " No pay, no 
clothes, no provisions," he was overheard in his 
tent at Valley Forge, as he knelt in prayer for 
divine aid. A soldier, knowing this, said : " If the 
Lord will listen to any one, it is George Wash- 
ington, and our independence is certain." 



APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. 271 

In 1792 Trumbull painted a portrait of Wash- 
ington, in which he represented his appearance 
the night before the battle of Princeton. " We 
talked," says Trumbull, " of the scene, its dangers, 
its almost desperation. He looked the scene again, 
and I transferred to the canvas the lofty expres- 
sion of his animated countenance, the high re- 
solve to conquer or to perish." This was a pict- 
ure of him " in his heroic, military character," 
and it exhibits a fire and resolution in his face 
quite in contrast with his usual placidity, and es- 
pecially with his calm dignity during his subse- 
quent presidency. 

But nothing of this character has impressed me 
like the following vivid portraiture of Washing- 
ton, drawn by one who heard his address to Con- 
gress after he was elected President for a second 
term. We are indebted to Mrs. Kirkland for a 
graphic description of this scene, which she quotes, 
in the words of one living when she wrote it : — 

I was but a schoolboy at the time, and had followed 
one of the many groups of people who, from all quar- 
ters, were making their way to the hall in Chestnut 
Street, corner of Fifth, Phihadelphia, where the two 
houses of Congress then held their sittings, and where 
they were that day to be addressed by the President, 
on the opening of his second term of office. Boj's can 
often manage to work their way through a crowd bet- 
ter than men can. At all events, it so happened that I 
succeeded in reaching the steps of the hall, from which 
elevation, looking in every direction, I could see nothing 
but human heads — a vast fluctuating sea, swaying to 



272 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

and fro, and filling every accessible place ^vhich com- 
manded even a distant view of the building. They had 
congregated, not with the hope of getting into the hall, 
for that was physically impossible, but that they might 
see Washington. Many an anxious look was cast in 
the direction in which he was expected to come ; till at 
length, true to the appointed hour (he was the most 
punctual of men), an agitation was observable ou tlie 
outskirts of the crowd, which gradually opened, and 
gave space for an elegant coach, drawn by six superb 
white horses, having on its four sides beautiful designs 
of the four seasons. ... It slowly made its wa}^ till it 
drew up immediatelj^ in front of the hall. 

The rush was now tremendous ; but, as tlie coach 
door opened, there issued from it two gentlemen, with 
long white wands, who with some difficulty parted the 
people, so as to open a passage from tlie carriage to the 
steps, on which the fortunate schoolboy had achieved a 
footing, and whence the whole proceeding could be dis- 
tinctly seen. As the President emerged from the car- 
riage, a univeral shout rent the air, and continued, as 
he very deliberately ascended the steps. On reaching" 
the platform he paused, looking back on the carriage, 
thus affording to the anxiety of the people the in- 
dulgence they desired, of feasting their eyes upon his 
person. 

Never did a more majestic personnge present him- 
self to the public gaze. He was within two feet of me ; 
I could have touched his clothes, but I should as soon 
have thought of touching an electric battery. Boy as 
I was, I felt as in the presence of a divinity. As lie 
turned to enter the hall the gentlemen with the white 
wands preceded him and, with still greater difficulty than 
before, repressed the people and cleared a way to the 
great staircase. As he ascended I ascended with him. 



APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONAEY OFFICERS. 273 

step by step, creeping close to the wall, and almost 
hidden by the skirts of his coat. Nobody looked at me, 
everybody was looking at him ; and thus I was per- 
mitted, unnoticed, to glide along, and happily to make 
my way (where so many were vainly longing and 
struggling to enter) into the lobby of the chamber of 
the House of Representatives. Once in, I was safe ; 
for had I even been seen by the officers in attendance, 
it would have been imi:)ossible to get me out again. I 
saw near me a large pyramidal stove which, fortunately, 
had but little fire in it ; and on which I forthwith clam- 
bered, until I had attained a secure perch from which 
every part of the hall could be deliberately and distinct- 
ly surveyed. Depend upon it, I made use of my eyes. 

On either side of the broad aisle that was left vacant 
in the centre were assembled the two houses of Con- 
gress. As the President entered, all rose, and remained 
standing till he had ascended the steps at the upper end 
of the chamber, and taken his seat in the Speaker's 
chair. It was an impressive moment. Notwithstanding 
that the spacious apartment, floor, lobby, and gallery, 
were full, not a sound was heard ; the silence of ex- 
pectation was unbroken and profound; every breath 
seemed suspended. He was dressed in a full suit of the 
richest black velvet ; his lower limbs in short clothes, 
with black silk stockings. His shoes, Avhich were bright- 
ly japanned, were surmounted with large square silver 
buckles. His haii-, carefully displayed in the manner of 
the day, was richly powdered, and gathered behind 
into a black silk bag, on which was a bow of black 
ribbon. In his hand he carried a plain cocked hat, de- 
corated with the American cockade. He wore by his 
side a light, slender dress-sword, in a green scabbard, 
with a highly ornamented hilt. His gait was deliberate, 
his manners solemn but self-possessed; and he presented, 

18 



274 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

altogether, the most august human figure I had then, or 
have since, beheld. 

At the head of the Senate stood Thomas Jefferson, 
in a blue coat, single-breasted, with large bright basket 
buttons, his vest and small clothes of crimson. I re- 
member being struck with his bright eye and foxy hair, 
as well as by his tall form and square shoulders. A 
perfect contrast was presented by the pale, reflective 
face and delicate figure of James Madison. In the semi- 
circle which was formed behind the chair, and on either 
hand of the President, my boyish gaze was attracted by 
the splendid attire of the Chevalier D'Ynigo, the Span- 
ish ambassador, then the only foreign minister near our 
infant government. His glittering star, his silk chapeau 
bras, edged with ostrich feathers, his foreign air and 
courtly bearing, contrasted strongl}^ with those nobility 
of nature's forming^ who stood around him. It was a 
very fair representation of the Old World and the New. 

Having retained his seat for a few moments, while 
the members resumed their seats, the President rose 
and, taking from his breast a roll of paper, proceeded to 
read his address. His voice was full and sonorous, deep 
and rich in tones, free from that trumpet ring which 
it could assume amid the tumult of battle (and which 
is said to have been distinctly heard above all its roar), 
but sufficiently loud and clear to fill the chamber and 
be heard with perfect ease in its most remote recesses. 
The address was of considerable length ; its topics, of 
course, I forget, for I was too young to understand them. 
I only remember, in its latter part, some reference to 
claims or disputes on the part of the Indian tribes. He 
read everj'thing with a singular serenity and composure, 
with manly ease and dignity, but without the smallest 
attempt at display. 

Having concluded, he laid the manuscript on the 



APPEARANCE OF EEVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. 275 

table before him and resumed his seat ; when, after a 
slight pause, he rose and withdrew, the members rising 
and remaining on their feet until he had left the 
chamber. 

Most impressive must have been that scene 
when, in November 18, 1783, the British army 
retired at one point in New York City, and the 
American army entered it at another. Washing- 
ton is on horseback at the head of the American 
procession. Through these streets he has often 
ridden in his state carriage, drawn by six horses, 
in which he journeyed afterward through New 
England. And here too, when the long agony is 
at last over, a few days later, he takes a final leave 
of his officers, and, from the barge in which he 
is crossing: the water on his wav homeward, turns 
to his countless friends, as they stand on the 
shore, and waves his military hat and bids them 
a silent farewell. 

The personal power of their leader is seen as 
we look upon the delineated forms and features of 
the distinguished circle of heroes on the field, or 
of sages in the cabinet, which Washington gath- 
ered around him. No one who had seen the men 
whom he received to his confidence in the army — 
such as Henry Knox, for example, of so command- 
ing a figure, and whose every feature bespoke the 
brave, the generous, the patriotic, the faithful, and 
true man — could question their being entitled to 
their position. Look at the early portrait of 
Lafayette, — second only, if not first, in the esteem 



276 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

of Washington, — how full it is of the noble ex- 
pression seen on that clay Avhen, at less than 
twenty years of age, he presented himself to his 
chief, to be ever after a bosom friend. When I 
saw him on his visit to this country in 1(S24 — 
after the weight of age had come upon him, and 
marks were manifest of the untold sufferings he 
had experienced in the dreary prisons of Olmutz 
and Magdeburg, in the hardships of war in our 
own country, and amid the anxieties and reponsi- 
bilities of that terrible Revolution in his own — 
1 recalled vividly what a price he had paid that 
we might be free, and none the less when I saw 
that his bowed form still carried much of its pris- 
tine dignity, and the massive face, especially the 
eye, lighted up with its "wonted fires" as he 
spoke. We who then saw him thought of his sac- 
rifices wellnigh to death for our sakes, and when 
we heard from his own lips words of love to his 
old companions in arms, our hearts burned with- 
in us, and we felt a warmth toward him which the 
cold page of history had never kindled. 

And so it is, in a lower desxree, as we to-dav look 
on the portraits of those men who braved such 
dangers and suffered such pains, that our country 
might be born into freedom and independence. 
Baron von Steuben's portrait — by that strongly 
marked face and head, both of the Roman stamp, 
with eyes large, bright, and attractive, a nose firm, 
and a mouth combining great beauty with a frank 
and noble energy of purpose — reinforces our 



APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. 277 

previous estimate of the great work he did for 
us, more especially in maturing and perfectino- 
the discipline of our ill arranged troops. John 
Brooks, who more than once received the person- 
al commendation of Washimrton for his courao-e 
and good judgment in the field, bore in his per- 
sonal appearance tokens of that manly power he 
everywhere exhibited. General Marion shows in 
his face a combination of Northern energy with 
Southern — I might almost say — fascination ; and 
we see united in his picture, with manly beauty 
and sweetness of character, a strength of purpose, 
good judgment, and perseverance in action, that 
make us believe he richly deserved the testimony 
of the commander-in-chief that, at Eutaw Springs 
he " conducted his trooj)S with great gallantry and 
good conduct," and, with two others to co-oj^erate, 
achieved a renowned victory. 

I have spoken of Eustis at the time he held the 
office of governor. He was then about seventy 
years old, but there were still left traces of his 
early personal appearance. On looking at his 
portrait, painted in his prime, by Stuart, I am 
struck with its remarkable attractiveness. A laro-e 
expansion of brow, indicating strong intellect, a 
bright eye, Grecian nose, and a mouth uniting 
firmness with benevolence, all form a head and a 
face, that bespeak a man genial, social, refined, 
yet not wanting in self-reliance and energy. We 
see this latter trait manifested by the confidence 
he inspired in the officers of the army, being of- 



278 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

fered at one time by General Knox a commission 
as lientenant of artillery, although his desire to be 
perfected in medicine led him to decline it, and 
adhere to his work as surgeon in the army. 

The name of John Lillie should have a place 
here. An excellent engraving of him, by F. T. 
Stuart, gives us a face in which Roman dignity 
and firmness are united with a prepossessing smile. 
The arch expression of the eyes, the pleasant yet 
intelligent mouth, the well-set chin, all give evi- 
dence of a frankness and force of character that 
one does not easily forget. Born in Boston, July 
18, 1753, he died September 22, 1801. Yet 
this short life was filled with services to his coun- 
try. He was commissioned second lieutenant. 
May 1, 1775 ; first lieutenant in Knox's Regiment 
of artillery, in 1776 ; acting captain in Crane's 
Regiment, in 1777 ; captain in 1778 ; aide-de-camp 
to General Knox, May 1, 1782; captain of the 
United States Artillery, February 16, 1801, and 
commandant at West Point at the time of his 
death. An unsought certificate was given him by 
Washington, December 1, 1783, in these words: 
" Whereas Captain John Lillie has behaved with 
great propriety during his military services, I 
have therefore thought proper to grant this cer- 
tificate." After enumerating his rapid promotions 
and many offices, Washington adds : " In all which 
several stations and capacities Captain Lillie has 
conducted himself, on all occasions, with dignity, 
bravery, and intelligence." He was presented 



APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. 279 

with a sword by Washington, and also with one 
by Lafoyette, which was in 1873, and at this time 
doubtless is, in the possession of his grandson, 
Hon. Henry L. Pierce of Boston. 

I select another Revolutionary officer who se- 
cured the marked favor of Washington, Captain 
Henry Lee. One would observe the face of this 
man in a gallery, among hundreds of others, as 
singularly attractive. The features are all nearly 
perfect, — a high and well proportioned forehead, 
surmounted by well adjusted hair, clubbed into 
a queue ; the eyes clear and bright, with finely 
shaped eyebrows, a classic nose, with a mouth of 
the rarest benevolence, and a chin of correspond- 
ing effect, — the whole figure compact, a military 
coat, the lappels at least a hundred years old in 
style, the ruffled shirt-bosom, the official epau- 
lettes, every part and the whole together, bespeak 
no ordinary man. The record of this man comes 
up to what we anticipate. " Captain Lee," says 
a contemporary writer, "who has for some time past 
been posted at Valley Forge with his troops, has 
added another cubit to his fame." We have then 
an account of his great skill and courage at a 
point where he was surprised in a house occupied 
only by himself and seven other persons, by a 
party of two hundred men, whom he compelled 
" disgracefully to retire," with a loss of two killed 
and four wounded, while only one of his little 
band was injured. For this exploit he received the 
following- testimonial : " The Commander-in-chief 



280 REMIXISCEJfCES AND MEMORIALS. 

returns his earnest thanks to Captain Lee, and the 
officers and men in his troop, for the victory which 
their superior bravery and address gained over a 
party of the enemy's dragoons." With the same 
adroitness, August 20, 1779, Captain, now Major 
Lee made an attack on tlie British garrison at 
Poule's Hook. The preponderance of his oppo- 
nent's force was such that, in a letter to Washing- 
ton, Lee calls his men " the forlorn hope." Yet his 
success was complete. He speaks of the " patience 
of his troops under their sufferings," and their 
" resolution which reflects the highest honor on 
them." After gaining the fort, his soldiers re- 
frained from plunder, although in the midst of 
temptations. "American humanity," he snys, " has 
been again signally manifested. Self-preservation 
strongly dictated, in the retreat, the putting the 
prisoners to death, and British cruelty fully justi- 
fied it; notwithstanding which, not a man was 
wantonly hurt." This noble conduct was what 
one would have anticipated who had ever looked 
on a likeness of Major Lee. His high character 
was transfused into his men ; his honor became an 
inspiration to theirs. 

I might easily fill pages with records of this 
kind which would confirm the claims of physiog- 
nomy in the brave and generous men of the 
Revolutionarj^ War. 

These remarks apply equally, I may add, to the 
impression made upon one's mind hy the personal 
appearance of many of our great civilians in 



APPEARANCE OF REVOLUTIONARY OFFICERS. 281 

later no less than Revolutionarj periods. I once 
,saw in the United States Senate a clnster of men 
who produced this effect. Among them were 
Henry Clay, whose tall figure, courageous, unique, 
and expressive face and manner, the essence of 
courtesy, attracted one as those of no ordinary 
person ; Thomas H. Benton, compact in frame, — a 
Western air of freedom united with a gait and 
movement as solid as " the hard money " which in 
his pet measure he advocated ; John C. Calhoun, 
slender, stern, with an intellectual face, and an eye 
one did not care to meet, — so determined, so 
like many a master's as he gazes on his slave. 

What I have remarked of the faces of such men 
as I have spoken of is true, in a degree, of other 
personal indications of their characters. We can 
see something of this even in their handwriting. 
We can trace indications of remarkable traits in 
many men of distinction even in their penmanship. 
I have in this volume repeatedly spoken of the rare 
eloquence of Edward Everett. As one saw and 
heard him in his great orations, the feeling was 
strong that such power as this can belong only to 
a man whose genius is concentrated, if not confined 
in these masterly productions. And yet look at 
the man in any of the ordinary, commonplace 
marks of character, and you see the very same care 
for completeness and perfection. A letter of his, 
when president of Harvard College, calling us to 
a committee meeting, would be written, even to 
the punctuation, as exactly as if he were only sec- 



2S2 KEMIXISCENCES A^■D MII-MOUIALS. 

retary of the board instead oi' its lit\iil. Ho had 
system and method in a business letter as in a tin- 
ished oration. Look at a little note oi' his. its sio-na- 
ture, its ^vllole contents. It eqnals, in these 
respects, the exactness of Washington. 

In looking over twenty pages of the autographs 
of members of the Society of the Cincinnati, I 
was struck witli tliem as illustrations of character. 
Beo'in with Washiniiton ; his clear and firm auto- 
graph shows what the man was — npright. judicions, 
calm, self-possessed. Here is a person whose por- 
trait announces, what I heard a neighbor of om* 
family often say of some wise man, that " he is one 
who understands himself ; " when the hour calls for 
action, how steadily and smoothly, yet how deter- 
niinately he will move forward. See the siu-nature 
of Henry Knox, lair, like his face, yet downright, 
and ponderous, like his massiye frame. Benjauiin 
Lincoln's hand is iirin, honest, uniform. John 
Brooks's is plain, upright. William Eustis has a 
bad pen, but here is perseyerance. Samuel Adams 
writes a hand lirni. upright, and clear. See tlie 
signature of John Hancock on the Declaration of 
Lidependence, — bold, decided; here is a name to 
be read by all men. Franklin's handwriting, in 
middife, was clear, firm, eyen, and not ungraceful. 
Jefferson's signature was widespread and decided ; 
although in a letter his handwriting was often dif- 
ferent, and in the latter part of his life, quite nar- 
row, compact, and yery legible. The signature of 
John Adams was broad, plain, and emphatic, like 



APPEARANCi: OF KEYOLUTIONxiPtY OFFICERS. 283 

the man. His son, John Quincj, in 18.32, wrote a 
set hand, quite in character, very readable, but by 
no means graceful. Andrew Jackson penned his 
name with tiie energy of a hero and the decision 
of an autocnit. Henry Clay writes with a delicacy 
and fine penmanship that exhibit courtesy and 
great powers of persuasion. Reading one of the 
letters of Josiah Quincy now before me, I find it 
marked, as everything from his head or heart was, 
bv tokens of a man strong both in intellect and 
sensibilities. Uprightness, decision, energy, are 
in this autograph. And so with those of his father, 
grandfather, and back to the earliest members of 
this family. Here is a noble race, who write down 
in their signatures, as they do by their lives and 
actions, the record of their honored and imperisha- 
ble work. Note the penmanship of John Parker, 
as he testifies of his part in the battle of Lexing- 
ton ; it is bold, emphatic, steadfast, like the man. 
Israel Putnam's hand is uncultured, uneven, 
but firm and strong. Henry Dearborn writes out 
in every letter his energy and persistence. Stuart 
gave life to those who sat for their portraits. So 
do such men as James Otis, Daniel Webster, Henry 
Knox, utter the living word by the stroke of their 
pen. See the autograph of Baron Von Steuben, 
not graceful, but marked, showing a man of action. 
Look at our allies in the "War of the Revolution : 
the Count de Grasse v*^rites his name with the en- 
ergy of a commander ; and the Count de Roch- 
ambeau leaves a signature expressing modesty, and 



284 REMINISCEXCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

yet a decision that in a good cause will not flinch 
or falter to the end. Here is the name of William 
Prescott, commander at Bunker Hill, June 17, 
1775, — written with a purpose, a plain hand, yet 
saying in action as well as plan, " I will do my 
best." John Stark signs his name as if he held an 
iron sceptre, — his deed as sure as his word. 

And so of men whose qualities we dislike or ques- 
tion. Edmund Andros writes his name as if saying 
inwardly, " I fear nothing that comes in my way." 
These penmarks show impatience, imperiousness, 
one equal to whatever injustice may tempt his ac- 
tion. Benjamin Church, Jr., has a signature vary- 
ing with the times, smooth and plausible to-day, 
bend in o; to treason to-morrow. 

I might fill pages with these tokens of charac- 
ter. The growing custom is good, to present in 
books, not only the picture of the face, but also 
the signature of the hand. In a volume of his- 
tory or biography, as the printed page and illus- 
tration should show us the fully illuminated face 
of the man, so his method of writing his own name 
is needed to supplement our knowledge of his 
character, by the lights and shades it will often 
furnish to help our discoveries. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

ANDREW JACKSON. 

Andrew Jackson deserves notice in this con- 
nection. He was the Last president of the United 
States whose birthday preceded the opening of 
the Revolutionary War. He was born at Wex- 
ham Settlement, South Carohna, March 15, 1767, 
and died June 8, 1845, aged seventy-eight years. 
His ancestors were Irish, and removed to Scotland. 
They emigrated to this country in 1765, and were 
a patriotic and disinterested family. 

The military spirit of Jackson displayed itself in 
his early boyhood. At less than fourteen years 
of age he joined a military corps to defend his 
native State; and August 6, 1780, he was in the 
battle of Hanging Rock, South Carolina. In 1781 
he was taken prisoner by the British ; and when 
an officer ordered him to clean his boots he re- 
fused, for which offence he received from the offi- 
cer a deep wound, that remained on him through 
life. 

At various periods he took part in our wars, 
against the Indians in Georgia and Alabama, also 
against the Creoles, and, still later, against the 



286 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Seminoles. His victory in the War of 1812, at 
the battle against British troops in New Orleans, 
January 8, 1815, brought him prominently before 
the country, and opened the way for his elevation 
to the presidency in 1829. 

To find the germ of the democratic principle 
which led to Jackson's success we must go back to 
Jefferson. It may be traced through his spirit to 
the close of the administration of John Adams. We 
owe much to the high tone and honorable character 
of the old Federal party ; but, after all, that party 
lacked the breadth of the one represented by Jef- 
ferson. With all his errors of conduct, his main idea 
was correct, and he expressed the will of the 
people at large better than his immediate prede- 
cessor. But in Jackson came a distinct announce- 
ment from the presidential chair that ours is 
fundamentally a government of the popular will. 
He boldly advanced the idea, since embodied by 
Abraham Lincoln, that ours is " a government of 
the people, by the people, and for the people." In 
other words, that in every office, and on every 
occasion, the will of the people is ultimately " the 
test of law, equity, and right." The party which 
elected Andrew Jackson wrote this doctrine on 
their banners, making the phrase " the will of the 
people" their rallying-cry ; and by it his adminis- 
tration secured popularity, ascendency and a stable 
power. Much of this result was due both to the 
nature and qualities, and the experience and train- 
ing, of the man at the head of the government. 



ANDREW JACKSON. 287 

Born of Scotch-Irish parents, Andrew Jackson 
combined in his character the warlike spirit of the 
one race with the impulsiveness of the other. 
These traits were illustrated by him when, in a 
military capacity, he caused two British soldiers to 
be hung, — hastily and rashly, it w^as charged ; 
but, after a long trial for what was alleged in this 
act to be criminal, Jackson was finally acquitted. 
Known as a brave and enduring soldier, he passed 
through life under the title of Old Hickory. In 
public his manner was often brusque, and his lan- 
guage decided and sometimes rough ; yet in pri- 
vate he was usually courteous, and was said to be 
tender in his domestic relations. 

While on a visit at Washington in 1830, during 
his presidency, I had an interview with him in his 
special room at the White House. He w^as tall in 
person, erect and slender, weighing, as I judged, 
about one hundred and forty-five pounds ; his head 
was long and covered with bristling hair ; he had a 
brow well arched, projecting, and deeply furrowed 
by wrinkles; his eyes were dark blue, clear and 
commanding, the nose prominent, the chin firm, 
the lips compressed, and the whole face signifying 
decision and force, with an expression, like his 
language, rapid in its changes. I could easily be- 
lieve that, with his excitable temperament, he 
would use words not always reverent, yet proba- 
bly not exceeding, as a habit, his somewhat fre- 
quent phrase, " By the Eternal." 

In his conversation at my visit he spoke on 



288 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

several topics, — among the rest, in regard to the 
kindness of his friends in presenting him a variety 
of pens, some of which he exhibited. " I have 
tried this and that one, and others," he continued, 
'• but have not yet found just what I want. I have 
so many grants to sign" — alhiding probably to 
grants for the sale of public lands — " that I use 
a great many pens, and need one of a peculiar 
kind." He became, as he went on, so earnest that 
the fate of the nation almost seemed to depend on 
his procuring the right pen. Meantime his very 
long pipe sent forth ever-increasing volumes of 
smoke as he grew more eloquent. 

I saw him again early in the summer of 1833, 
when he made a tour north and east, as far as 
Portsmouth, New Hampshire. He w\as received 
with great respect at all points, and nowhere with 
more marked attention than in Boston, althouy^h a 
city most decidedly opposed to him and his policy. 
The corporation of Harvard College at this visit 
held a special meeting to confer on him the degree 
of Doctor of Law^s ; and, to witness the deferen- 
tial manner of all classes of the people toward 
him, and his own courtesy and serenity joined 
wdth ofhcial dignity, one could hardly believe 
him the same man about whom such intense party 
indignation had been within a short period ex- 
pressed, and who had himself, wdien aroused, 
uttered language not specially measured or 
mild. 

Jackson — you could not look on him without 



ANDREW JACKSON. 289 

feelinof it — was a marked man. He had an in- 
domitable will, a clear insight into human motives 
and character, a rare moral and physical courage, 
and his decisions were apt to be irreversible. To 
those whom he regarded as his personal or politi- 
cal enemies, he was open in opposition, contradic- 
tion, censure, and combativeness ; but to his known 
friends his gentleness, kindness, and frank and 
affable manner were unfailing. His faults lay 
largely on the surface of his character. Preju- 
dice and passion were strong in him, but time 
showed him at heart a true patriot and an honest 
man. 

Whatever there may be to pardon in the per- 
sonal character or public administration of Andrew 
Jackson, we are to remember that he had the 
confidence of Washington, who appointed him to 
the office of United States District Attorney in 
the year 1791 ; and however some of us may say 
he was addicted to certain faults, errors, and per- 
versities, he deserves credit for many good acts 
in his public conduct ; and we may never forget 
that on the 28th of February, 1815, the legis- 
lature of Massachusetts, a State opposed to the 
war in which he had achieved his victory at New 
Orleans the previous month, passed a vote of 
thanks for his heroism on that occasion. 

The country owes Jackson much for the stand 
he took in 1832, when South Carolina seemed on 
the brink of secession on account of the tariff 
question. When told in private, that affairs ap- 

19 



290 REMIXISCEXOES AND MEMORIALS. 

peared very threatening in South Carohna, he 
replied, '^ But, by the Eternal, things shall go right 
there." Although in his proclamation to those 
deluded people he used language, firm and de- 
cided, yet parts of it were tender and even 
parental. We are indebted to him also for that 
victory in the battle at New Orleans, in which, 
with only three thousand militia, he vanquished 
fourteen thousand picked British troops. 

His courage never faltered in the path of dan- 
ger or duty. And let his judgment err, as it 
sometimes did, he was always honest, upright, out- 
spoken, and clear in conduct and motive. " He 
was ambitious," do you say ? Passing at the 
period referred to, in review, as I did daily, an 
array of remarkable men in and out of Congress, 
Clay, Calhoun, Benton, Webster, Van Buren, and 
others, it was difficult to select one in the whole 
catalogue whom I could judge less personally am- 
bitious or more sincerely patriotic than Andrew 
Jackson. It is to the credit of Daniel Webster 
that in those exciting days that great statesman, 

— amid his opposition to President Jackson in the 
contest on the United States Bank, although he 
believed the President had transcended his consti- 
tutional powers, — and so voted, as a Senator, 

— through all the contest never spoke of the Presi- 
dent but with respect. He never forgot the moral 
courage and the patriotism of Jackson in his noble 
appeal to South Carolina, when by his proclama- 
tion in 1832, he stayed the impending disloyalty 



ANDREW JACKSON. 291 

and menacing secession spirit of that misled 
people. 

I remember the fearful excitement at the North 
when Jackson ordered the removal of the national 
deposits from the banks in Boston ; and, looking 
back, I could name grave, sober men of that or- 
derly city, and some of them of high social and 
moral standing, who talked, in the frenzy of the 
time, of " muskets being shouldered, and a march 
to WashinQ-ton." 

And yet, after the old hero had retired from the 
presidency, most of us were ready to say, " to err 
is human, to forgive divine." And, when he had 
passed up to his final award, the fires of party 
spirit went down, and of whatever was honest and 
pure, patriotic and self-sacrificing, in this man — 
and it was no small sum — we agreed in saying, 
" That will endure throughout our nation's history." 
He had a resolute wellnigh irresistible will, but 
it was usually put forth on the side of right, free- 
dom, and the Constitution. It was in no selfish 
spirit that he uttered that great sentence, the 
spirit of which is the palladium of our institutions, 
"The Union must and shall be preserved." If he 
ever seemed to stretch his authority, it was com- 
monly an excess of what began in the true 
direction. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

THE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT. 

The whole American people, including the 
Northern States, not excepting Massachusetts, 
where the Revolution began its great work, was 
involved in the custom of slaveholding. An an- 
cestor on my own father's side was implicated 
in this practice, abhorrent at it now seems to us 
all. 

Down to the opening scene of blood at Lexing- 
ton, we find evidences of the unblushing traffic in 
human flesh. Slaves were sold and bought openly 
like cattle and horses. Witness the following : — 

BiLLERiCA, May 2, 1761. 

Knoiv all vien hy these presents^ that I, Hannah Bowers, 
of Billerica, widow, have sold unto Lot Colby, of Rum- 
ford, in the province of New Hampshire, a mulatto 
Negro boy, named Salem^ and have received forty-five 
shillings sterling, in full consideration for the said boy, 
witness my hand, 

Hannah Bowers. 

Test • \ Joseph Walker, 
c JosiAH Bowers. 



THE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT. 293 

Put with this the following from the " Essex 
Journal" (Newburyport) March 2, 1774 : — 

To he sold, 
A HEALTHY NEGRO GIRL, 

ABOUT TWENTY-THREE YEARS OLD, BORN IN THIS COUNTRY. 

Likeivise 
A SERVICEABLE MARE, 

"WHICH GOES WELL IN A CARRIAGE. ENQUIRE OF THE PRINTER. 

But, in men then living, a new view of human 
rights was soon to prevail. 

Henry Ware, — born April 1, 1764, at a time 
when the American colonies were deeply agitated 
for the advance of national freedom, and in the 
twelfth year of his age when the battle of Lexing- 
ton woke a continent to take up arms for liberty 
and independence, — as a boy, must have felt, what 
the man afterward so clearly exhibited, a strong 
interest in the dawn of that Revolution, which was 
destined to place this nation in the front rank of 
free countries. 

Filled with the spirit of liberty, Henry Ware 
w^as, early and late, a decided advocate of equal 
rights and a firm emancipationist. Wise, calm, 
judicious in all his conduct, he carried these noble 
qualities into every measure he favored, and every 
step he took toward the abolition of American 



294 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

slavery. In 1834, being a professor in Harvard 
College, he joined a local association originated for 
this purpose. At that time the Cambridge Anti- 
slavery Society was formed, and a preamble and 
constitution were adopted, among the signatures 
to which Henry Ware's name stands first. Its ob- 
ject, purposes, and plans — which afford a fair 
illustration of the spirit then prevalent in a large 
section of the North on the antislavery movement 
— will be best understood by the following ex- 
tracts from its records : — 

Preamble. 

We, the undersigned, regard the system of Domestic 
Slavery which now prevails over a large portion of the 
United States, as, not in the abstract merely, but in 
practice, an evil of the greatest magnitude, and a source 
of incalculable mischief. 

We consider slaveholding, in itself, morally wrong ; 
though we would not impute it as a crime to those who 
conscientiously believe themselves not justified in im- 
mediate emancipation. 

We believe that the emancipation of all who are in 
bondage is the requisition, not less of sound policy 
than of justice and humanity ; and that it is the duty of 
those with wliom the power lies at once to i-emove the 
sanction of the law from the principle that man can be 
the property of man, — a principle inconsistent with the 
spirit of our free institutions, subversive of the pur- 
poses for which man was made, and utterly at variance 
with the plainest dictates of reason and Christianity. 

AVhereas it has been said that slavery is a subject 
with which citizens of the Non-slaveholdins: States have 



THE ANTISLAVERY MOVEMENT. 295 

no concern, we feel that we are, equally with the citi- 
zens of the Slaveholding States, responsible for its exist- 
ence in the District of Columbia, and in some of the 
Territories of the United States, and that it is our duty 
to exercise our constitutional right in promoting its 
abolition in the said District and Territories. 

We think that we are also called upon b}' our rela- 
tions to the citizens of the Slaveholding States, as 
fellow-men and citizens of this federal republic, to en- 
deavor, by appealing to their reason and conscience, and 
by extending to them every aid in our power, to induce 
them to abolish slavery in their respective common- 
wealths ; and no longer to withhold from the colored 
population the fair protection of the laws, and the inesti- 
mable blessings of religious and mental education. 

There appearing to us to be no means by which pub- 
lic opinion can be so easily influenced upon this subject 
as by the formation of associations for that purpose, we 
agree to unite in one, which shall be governed by the 
following 

Constitution. 

Article I. The objects of this society shall be, by 
all means sanctioned by law, humanity, and religion, to 
promote the abolition of slavery throughout the United 
States, and improve the character and condition of the 
free people of color. 

Article II. The society shall seek to obtain and 
to diffuse accurate information as to the real character 
of slavery in our country, as to the character and condi- 
tion of the people of color, bond and free, and as to 
the best modes of emancipation, as taught by reason 
and experience ; to promote the establishment of better 
schools for the free people of color than those to which 



296 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

they now find access, and to aid their efforts at self- 
instruction and improvement. 

Henry Ware, Artemas B. Muzzey, 

Sidney Wileard, Barzillai Frost, 

Charles Follen, Charles T. Brooks, 

H. Ware, Jr., Frederick H. Hedge, 

JoNA. Aldrich, John Owen, 

Francis J. Higginson, John M. Smith, 

John Q. Day, John Livermore, 

Thomas F. Norris, Nathl. P. Hunt, 

Stephen Lovell, John N. Barbour, 

Wm. H, Channing, Edward Brown, Jr., 

Levi Farwell, William Farwell. 
Henry M. Chamberlain, 

In this list of twenty-three names are found not 
only young men, full of the earnestness and im- 
pulsiveness of their age, but men like Henry 
Ware, Sidney Willard, Levi Farwell, Henry Ware, 
Jr., Charles Follen, and others in the meridian of 
life, or past it. These, and several who possessed 
in early life the wisdom of age, while they sympa- 
thized with the object and the aims of the Massa- 
chusetts Antislavery Society, questioned some of 
the proposed measures, and the spirit and language 
of prominent members in its ranks. 

Charles Follen, LL. D., born in Hesse Darm- 
stadt, Germany, September 4, 1795 — prominent 
abroad and in this, his adopted country, as a cham- 
pion of human freedom — took a lively interest in 
our movement. Being secretary of the Cambridge 
association, I became intimate with him, and knew 



THE ANTISLAVERT MOVEMENT. 297 

well how thorough and pronounced were his anti- 
slavery principles ; and that, although not in full ac- 
cord with William Loyd Garrison, he honored his 
character, and, in common with every member of 
our society, was no less than that man, a decided 
aboUtionist. "I remained long" said Dr. Follen, 
" in the same society with Garrison, earnestly 
hoping and striving to induce him, without abating 
his an ti slavery zeal, to tone down some of his ex- 
pressions, and especially to moderate some of the 
language he applied to slaveholders." Dr. Follen 
thought this course would give Mr. Garrison an 
influence over that class of men, abate their per- 
sonal hostility to himself, and thus lead them to 
accept, and eventually take steps toward carrying 
out, the great doctrine of human rights, a final 
emancipation of the slave. Instead of denounc- 
ing the church, like Garrison, as in league with the 
slaveholder. Dr. Follen would labor to reform it, 
and to infuse into it the spirit of Christian liberty ; 
and instead of blazing forth against the Consitu- 
tion, like some others, as a bond of slavery and 
death, and a '' covenant with hell," and therefore 
to be broken down, he would uphold it, and keep 
all the States, north and south, in the Union ; and 
by an earnest moral influence, encourage them all 
to work together for the full and final emancipa- 
tion of the slaves. 

In these views the Cambridge Antislavery So- 
ciety agreed. It seemed to them that for the 
existence of slavery in some parts of our country, 



298 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

especially at the seat of government, we of the 
North were indirectly, if not directly, responsible. 
Accordingly the following vote was passed by the 
society : — 

At a meeting of the Cambridge Antislavery Society 
on the evening of July 4, 1834, it was voted that 

Rev. Charles Follen, 
Rev. T. F. Norris, 
Rev. J. Aldrich, 
Mr. H. M. Chamberlain, 

Mr. F. J. HiGGINSON, 

be a committee to draft a petition to the Congress of 
the United States, praying tliem to take immediate 
measures for the abolition of slavery in the District of 
Columbia ; and that the same persons be a committee to 
procure signatures thereto in the town of Cambridge 
and the vicinity. 

We had all hoped by this, and other similar 
qniet means and methods, to help accomplish the 
great end which every true friend of his country 
must desire. But Providence had decreed other- 
wise ; and though our humble endeavors must 
have contributed their share toward moulding the 
needed public opinion on this subject, and though 
the noble work of Garrison — whom we honored for 
his moral courage — did then, as we all know, lay 
the foundation stones of this mighty achievement, 
yet, where the olive branch proved ineffectual, the 
sword was at last the direct instrument of success. 

At the North, prejudice against the colored race 
was a barrier in many hearts to an interest in 



THE ANTISLAVEEY MOVEMEiSTT. 



299 



eniancip<ation. I rejoiced in being free from it. 
Among tiie pleasant memories of mj early boy- 
hood 1 recall that of a colored family which lived 
not far from my father.'s house. The head of tlie 
household, a thoroughbred negro, was good-natured 
and as faithful as the sunshine ; and how gentle 
and motherly the wife was. Shall I ever foi-get 
the kind tone with which she always spoke to me ? 
And the two dauschters — I loved them as if thev 
had been my own relations. One of them, long 
years after, walked several miles to see me, and 
told me, with a beaming face, that she had lately 
joined the church. Her pleasant smile and kind 
manner carried me back almost to infancy. That 
dear old circle, in their small unpainted cottage, 
still shines on memory's page. And I believe a 
lifelono; interest in their race dates back to that 
spot. It made me yearn to see them receive their 
God-intended liberty and equal rights; and it made 
my heart leap for joy when I read at last the noble 
proclamation for their emancipation, penned by the 
immortal Lincoln and confirmed by our National 
Congress. 




THE STOCKS. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

BOUTELLE FAMILY. 

Timothy Boutelle, born January 1, 1739, was 
distinguished for his patriotism and his military 
service in the Revolution. Immediately upon the 
receipt at Leominster of news of the battle of 
Lexington, a company was enlisted in that town 
into the Continental service for eight months, in 
the " 23d Regiment of Foot," under the connnand 
of Colonel Asa Whitcomb, to be stationed on Pros- 
pect Hill in Cambridge. This company was under 
the command of Captain David Wilder, and num- 
bered sixty-seven men, of whom fifty-nine enlisted 
on the 19th of April, 177-5. My grandftither Bou- 
telle was that day commissioned as lieutenant of the 
company, ^vhich was in Colonel Whitcomb's regi- 
ment while it was at Roxburv, and marched from 
there to Dorchester Heiu:hts on the evenins; of 
March 4, 1776. It was afterward in the Northern 
army, and took part in the battle of Saratoga and 
was present at the surrender of Burgoyne. 

In 1786 Daniel Shays, who had been a captain 
in the Continental army, headed an insurrection 
against the government of Massachusetts, which 



BOUTELLE FAMILY. 301 

was created under the pressure of heavy taxation 
and pecuniary embarrassments caused by the late 
war, and by a prejudice against the courts. It re- 
sulted in an organized resistance to the laws of the 
State. Governor Bowdoin ordered out a detach- 
ment of the militia to suppress the rebellion, under 
the command of Major-General Lincoln. Leomin- 
ster furnished its quota of men ; and two of the 
officers were taken from that town. One was 
Major Timothy Boutelle, who subsequently was 
promoted to the rank of colonel. The insurgents 
had encamped at Petersham. On an intensely 
cold night, February 4, 1786, in which many of 
the soldiers were frozen on the march, Colonel 
Boutelle, to the great anxiety and distress of his 
wife, my grandmother, left alone at her home, 
led the advanced guard, and arrived in Petersham 
so early as to surprise the insurgents in their beds. 
They all surrendered, and this terminated the re- 
bellion, without a shot or any resistance. " Col- 
onel Boutelle," says the historian of Leominster, 
"' acquired great credit for the tact and skill which 
he exhibited on that trying occasion, and for 
many years afterwards continued to be the com- 
mander of the regiment." 

Knsign John Buss, a brother-in-law of Colonel 
Boutelle, also took part in the same service. He 
was soon promoted, and for some time was captain 
of a company in Leominster. 

Colonel Boutelle was highly respected in town, 
and was chosen representative to the General 



302 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Court in 1786 and 1793. He owned and occupied 
a line farm in Leominster, Massachusetts, a mile 
northwest of Leominster Centre, which, after be- 
ing familiar with it in childhood as the iiome of my 
maternal grandparents, I visited in 1867, and found 
the old house, the outbuildings, workshop, barn, 
&c., almost identical with those of former days. 
On Boutelle Hill, one of the most elevated and 
commanding sites of that richly landed and beau- 
tiful town, my grandfather spent most of his life. 
Timothy Boutelle married Rachel, daughter of 
Luke Lincoln of Leicester. He died May 1810, 
aged seventy years. His wife died January 1, 
1828, aged eighty-six years. 

My grandfather was a strict Sabbatarian, very 
constant at meeting. The old family chaise was 
used every Sunday and for every service, morning 
and afternoon. The young men, and sometimes 
the young women of the family, would add to the 
number one or more persons on horseback, while 
the children would walk the lono; mile to reach 
the meeting-house. To descend the hill to the 
church was easy ; but to climb its steeps home- 
ward, especially in the heat of a midsummer day, 
was a test of the little boy's love and obedience 
to his grandparents. When Sunday came, how- 
ever, no questions were asked, but one and all 
must either put on their garments and go to meet- 
ing, or, if sickness was suggested, it was pro- 
posed to send for the doctor. The thought of his 



BOUTELLE FAMILY. 303 

big potions and bitter pills made me quite willing 
to endure the pains of hard walking. 

Think of the contrast between those times and 
the present in this regard. Go back to the old 
meeting-house where I saw, in my early days, the 
stocks in the vestibule and the ty thing-man with 
his rod in the gallery. Go back to the ages of 
the forefathers. We children were wearied by the 
sernion of an hour's length ; but good pastor Shep- 
ard of Cambridge habitually turned his hour-glass 
up twice before he ended his discourse ; and on the 
planting of a church at Woburn, Massachusetts, 
and dedication of the meeting-house, " Rev. Mr. 
Syms," as we read, " continued preaching and 
prayer about the space of five hours." 

The contrast in Boston and its vicinity, between 
the present mode of spending Sunday and that of 
the year 1677 is most striking. Look at the ideas 
and practices of those early days in this respect ; 
in that year we read : — 

The Court order and enact that the Sabbath laws be 
twice read annually, in March and September, by the 
minister, and the selectmen are ordered to see to it that 
there be one man appointed to inspect every ten families 
of his neiijlihors ; which tything-men are empowered to 
do in the absence of the constable, to appreliend all 
Sabbath breakers, &c., and carry them before the Mag- 
istrate or other authority, or commit them to prison, as 
any Constable may do, to be proceeded with according 
to law. 

This system of the espionage of neighbors, 



304 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



seems to iis so intolerable that we should think it 
an outrage on our natural rights. 
Read another of these statutes : — 



For tlie better putting in restraint and securing the 
offenders who transgress against the Sabbath laws in the 
meeting-house, or by misbehavior, by making an}^ noise 
or otherwise during the daytime, they sliall be laid hold of 
by any of the inhabitants near tlie said person and car- 
ried and put into the cage, by those authorized to' exe- 
cute this law, to be forthwith erected in Boston, which 
is appointed by the Selectmen to be set up in the 
market-place, and in such other towns as the County 
Court shall appoint, there to remain till the authorities 
shall examine the person of the offender, and order his 
punishment, as the matter may require, according to the 
laws relatinq; to the Sabbath. 



"O 



This cage was a contrivance to secure each 
foot and each hand, and the head also, by thrusting 
them into an upright machine w^ith holes in it for 
this purpose. And this machine was set in the 
market-place, not as we confine criminals, in a 
secluded room. 

What would those good people say if they could 
know our present notions about the observance of 
Sunday : a large proportion of the community 
never even entering the door of a church, but rid- 
ing, walking, going where they please for uny en- 
joyment on the Lord's Day ; many in the same old 
Boston, frequenting places for questionable indul- 
gences — concerts, hardly bearing a trace of any- 
thing "sacred," and lectures on many subjects 



BOUTELLE FAMILY. 305 

wide from texts of Scripture ; and even some of 
the best people of the day visiting museums of 
Art and libraries of all kinds, under the sanction 
of the civil authorities. Would they as readily 
excuse all our ideas and practices on the Sabbath, 
as most of us excuse, and rightly, I think, the 
errors in thought and practice, of the Puritans ? 

The children of Timothy and Rachel Boutelle 
were Lydia, born April 1, 1769, who married Amos 
Muzzey, Jr., of Lexington, October 10, 1795. He 
died May 20, 1829, aged sixty-three years; and 
she died December 24, 1838, aged sixty-nine years 
and nine months. 

Timothy, born in 1779, died November 12, 1855, 
aged seventy-seven ^^ears. He graduated with 
honors at Harvard College in 1800, and received 
the degree of A. M. in 1804 ; he was in the same 
class with Rev. Joseph Stevens Buckminster, 
Washington Allston, and Chief Justice Shaw of 
Massachusetts, who was Mr. Boutelle's college 
room-mate and lifelong friend. After leaving col- 
lege Mr. Boutelle was for one year assistant in 
Leicester Academy. He then studied law with 
Abijah Bigelow in Leominster, and finished his 
studies with Edwin Gray in Boston. He began the 
practice of law in Waterville, Maine, in 1804, where 
he was highly successful. His legal knowledge 
was extensive and accurate, and his judgment 
sound. In January, 1811, he married Helen, 
daughter of Judge Rogers of Exeter, New Hamp- 
shire, who was born April 19, 1788, and died in 

20 



306 KEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

1880, aged ninety-two years. He took an active 
interest in political affairs, was six years in the 
House of Representatives of Maine, and for the 
same time in the Senate. In 1816 he was chosen 
a presidential elector ; in 1839 he received the 
decree of LL. D. from Waterville Colles^e, now 
Colby University, in Maine, of which he was a 
trustee and the treasurer for many years. For 
twenty years he was president of a bank in Water- 
ville, and the first president of the Androscoggin 
and Kennebec Railroad. He kept up his interest 
in classical studies, and was a wide reader. He 
was devoted to the interests, educational, moral, 
and religious, of his town and community; and 
served in various relations, public and private, 
with ability. His memory is held in respectful 
and affectionate regard by his numerous friends 
and acquaintances. His disposition was social, and 
he was a warm friend. With strong sense and 
a native wit he was an instructive and agreeable 
companion. 

Enoch, son of Colonel Timothy Boutelle, had 
the military spirit of his father, and was an officer 
in the militia. I remember seeing his spontoon 
at my grandfather's old house. This weapon 
sometimes called a half-pike, was used in France 
during the Revolution of 1789, and was introduced 
later into this country. 

Enoch Boutelle occupied the old homestead in 
Leominster until 1817, when he died, from a sud- 
den disease, known as the " melting of the caul," 



BOUTELLE FAMILY. 307 

occasioned by overheating himself while pursuing 
a stray animal. 

Caleb Boutelle graduated at Harvard College in 
1806, and studied medicine ; he was a member of 
Massachusetts Medical Society. He established 
himself first at Belfast, Maine, in 1810, with his 
classmate, Joseph Green Coggswell, wdio at the 
same time began there the practice of law. Dr. 
Boutelle remained in Belfast some two years, and 
then removed to Lexington, Massachusetts. In 
1812 he was a surgeon in the navy during the war 
with Great Britain, and was taken prisoner and 
carried to Gibraltar. He subsequently removed to 
Plymouth, Massachusetts, and died there in 1819. 
Trusted as a faithful and skilled physician, he was 
greatly respected, by all who knew him, as a man of 
high integrity, and beloved and lamented by his 
kindred and friends. He married Anne, daughter 
of General Goodwin of Plymouth, where she died 
at an advanced age. They had children, among 
whom was Charles Otis, of the U. S. Coast Survey. 
His son, James Thacher, graduated at Harvard 
College in 1867, and received the degree of M. D. 
1871, and was a member of Massachusetts Medi- 
cal Society. 



CHAPTER XIX. 



LAFAYETTE. 



These biographical reminiscences have thus far 
been confined ahiiost exclusively to native-born 
men and their families. But there was one man 
of foreign birth, who took a part in our great Rev- 
olutionary struggle, so nobly disinterested, that he 
ousclit to hold in our memories and affections the 
place of an adopted son of America. 

Lafayette, born September 6, 1757, belonged 
to an ancient and noble stock. The original family 
name was Motier. Some of his male ancestors 
were remarkable for miUtary ability, and some of 
the women for literary talents. His property and 
influence were increased by his marriage, at the 
age of eighteen, to a lady of the illustrious line of 
Noailles. His full name, incorporating several of 
his ancestors, was Marie-Paul-Joseph-Roch-Yves- 
Gilbert-Motier de la Fayette. The rank and afflu- 
ence of his family gave him the fullest education, 
not only in classical and general literature, but in 
military tactics. 










t'^W:m^' 






^^sc^Vii 



LAFAYETTE. 



LAFAYETTE. 309 

His mind, both by nature and cultivation, was 
imbued with a strong love of liberty. He learned 
early the situation of our country, and its pur- 
pose of revolution and independence. Writing 
subsequently to the president of the Continental 
Congress he says : " The moment I heard of 
America, I loved her ; the moment I knew she was 
fighting for liberty, I burnt with a desire to bleed 
for her." 

In the month of January, 1777, he reached our 
shores in a vessel purchased at his own expense, 
entered the American army, bought clothing and 
arms for the troops under General Moultrie of 
South Carolina, and advanced to Washington 
60,000 francs for the public service. In July of 
the same year, although less than twenty years of 
age, he was commissioned by Congress a major- 
general. At Brandywdne, Valley Forge, Mon- 
mouth, and onward to his valiant and successful 
attack of the British redoubts at Yorktown, his 
deeds and his sacrifices were as noble as his gener- 
ous promise in the outset. 

Washington wrote of him to the president of 
Congress, October 13, 1778, as "an officer who 
unites to all the military fire of youth an uncom- 
mon maturity of judgment." He was honored and 
loved by his companions in arms, and lauded and 
sustained by Congress, that bod}^ on the 21st of 
October, 1778, passing a resolve, to cause "an 
elegant sword, with proper devices, to be pre- 
sented in the name of the United States, to the 



o 



;0 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 



Marquis La Fayette." He soon became the pride 
of the nation, and was taken to the bosoms of a 
grateful people. Grave and judicious men gave 
him their testimonials. Franklin writes to him 
from France : " I find it easy to express every- 
thing but the sense we have of your worth and 
our obligations to you." Samuel Adams says to 
him, June, 1780: "My particular friendship for 
you would be a prevailing inducement with me," 
&c. And Chief Justice Marshall speaks of " the 
joy and affection with which Washington received 
him," and " the distinction and re^j-ard of Cono-ress " 
for him, " to which his constant and indefatigable 
zeal in support of the American cause," and '' his 
signal services, gave him such just pretensions." 

After the war had closed there was one heart in 
which the old love never waxed cold. In 1784 
Lafayette revisited Washington, and when they 
parted at Annapolis it was never to meet again. 
But Washington, writing afterward to Lafayette, 
said : " Every hour since, I have felt all that love, 
respect, and attachment for you, with which length 
of years, close connection, and your merits have 
inspired me." And the letters of Lafayette to him 
show what affection he could awaken in a bosom 
friend. 

It was my good fortvme to see Lafayette under 
circumstances of special interest, very soon after, 
having accepted the invitation of Congress to re- 
visit this country, he had landed at New York 
City, August 15, "1824. 



LAFAYETTE. 311 

When, a few clays later, he entered the city of Bos- 
ton, ihe enthusiasm of the people was unbounded. 
As he passed out of Washington Street into State 
Street, a multitude of every age and description 
poured forth their demonstrations. Not the young 
or middle-aged alone, but hoary heads were carried 
away by the excitement of that occasion. In their 
midst, to my surprise, I saw the great Dr. Bow- 
ditch moving along in the crowd, waving his hat 
in the air ; and, as he approached the barouche in 
which Lafayette was riding, he joined in the 
shouts of the throng like a youth. Who else 
could have so stirred this grave man, the mathe- 
matician renowned the world over ; and whom, not 
many months after this event, I saw, on commence- 
ment day, seated among the Corporation of Har- 
vard College, — so staid, so dignified, one might 
have asked, '■' Does that man ever smile ? " 

But, after all, the order of that day was perfect. 
If we had been in France, the chance is that such 
an event would have been accompanied by very 
different scenes. I am not surprised that Lafa- 
vette asked at that time, as he looked on the thou- 
sands upon thousands that followed in his train, — 
so orderly in their deportment, and so well dressed, 
— "Where are the conmion people?" 

On the 26th of August, 1824, the Harvard 
Phi Beta Kappa Society held its annual meeting 
for public services in the old meeting-house of the 
First Parish in Cambridge, which stood on the spot 
now (1882) occupied by the Law School. The 



^19 



12 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

fame of the orator, Edward Everett, and the ex- 
pectation of seeing the ilkistrious Lafayette on 
that occasion, drew together an eager and crowded 
assembly. This, we all felt, was a proud day for 
llar\ard. Lafayette had already been welcomed 
by thousands, but new lustre was shed upon his 
name when he came to the Commencement of 
our ancient college. Our hearts beat with rap- 
ture as we saw him enter our precincts. A mag- 
nificent arch had been erected and handsomely 
decorated in Cambridgeport. On either side of the 
street were our school-children, the girls in white 
frocks and the boys in blue jackets. Through the 
thronged line Lafayette rode to Cambridge. Cheer 
upon cheer burst from the multitude as he moved 
forward. When the distintji-uished strano-er en- 
tered the church, the delighted audience rose in a 
mass and greeted him with unstinted demonstra- 
tions. But when the orator, toward the close of 
his address, turned toward Lafayette and com- 
menced his allusions to him, all eyes w^ere fixed 
on that noble figure, and the enthusiasm of the 
multitude broke forth in still louder applause. 
The personal address to him kindled a yet more 
fervent expression of the joy of all hearts. After 
speaking in a touching strain of his old comjoan- 
ions in arms — Lincoln, Greene, Knox, and Hamil- 
ton — Mr. Everett added, " But they are gone ; " 
and, rising to the climax of the scene, he pro- 
ceeded : — 



LAFAYETTE. 



313 



Above all, the first of heroes and of men, the friend 
of your youth, the more than friend of his country, rests 
in the bosom of the soil he redeemed. On the banks of 
the Potomac he lies in glory and peace. You will re- 
visit the hospitable shades of Mount Vernon, but him 
whom you venerated, as we did, you will not meet at its 
door. His voice of consolation, which reached you in 
the Austrian dungeons, cannot now break its silence to 
bid you welcome to his own roof ; but the grateful chil- 
dren of America will bid you welcome in his name. 
Welcome, thrice welcome to our shores ; and witherso- 
ever, throughout the limits of the continent, your course 
shall take you, the ear that hears you shall l)less you, 
the eye that sees you shall bear witness to you, and 
every tongue exclaim, with heartfelt joy, " Welcome, 
welcome, Lafayette." 

For a moment the enraptured listeners paused 
to recover their breath, and then, with tears on 
their faces, burst into prolonged and reiterated ap- 
plause. Lafayette shared in these thrilling emo- 
tions, sensibly affected by the allusion to his own 
services and sufferings, and especially at the name 
of Washington. At the dinner of the Society we 
enjoyed, under the presiding genius of Judge 
Story, a feast of wit and hilarity, heightened by a 
long line of distinguished speakers,— Everett, Jo- 
siahQuincy, Governor Eustis, ex-Governor Brooks, 
and others — not the least of whom was our world- 
renowned guest, whose native accent was almost 
overcome by his cordial appreciation of the scene, 
making ns all, as one, feel that such a fellowship 
as this band of brothers now awakened we might 



314 EEMIXISCEXCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

never again enjoy. And when he read the sen- 
timent he there gave, he called up a picture of 
scenes in tlie old world, part of which he himself 
had been : " The Holy Alliance of virtue, litera- 
ture, and patriotism, — it will prove too powerfid 
for any coalition against the rights of man." 

A few days after his arrival, on September 2, 
Lafayette accejjted an invitation of the town of 
Lexington to visit that place. Tliis gave me an 
opportunity for a personal hitroduction to him in 
my native place, and on the very spot hallowed as 
the birthplace of American liberty. At the line 
of the town he was met by a body of horse and 
a procession of citizens, who escorted him to the 
Common. An arch of evergreen and beautiful 
flowers had been erected, with the motto : " Wel- 
come, Friend of America, to the birthplace of 
American libertv." Amoni>: the lari>:e concourse 
assembled to honor the guest of the nation were 
the children of the schools, and fourteen of the 
brave men who took part in the battle of the 
19th of April, 1775. The procession, under sa- 
lutes from an artillery corps, moved to the Mon- 
ument, where an eloquent address of welcome was 
given by Major Elias Phinney of Lexington. To 
this cordial tribute Lafayette, with great emotion, 
replied, thanking the people of Lexington for their 
kind attention, and expressing his hajDpiness in 
standing upon ground " consecrated by the blood 
of the first martyrs to American freedom, a cause 
whose influence had been felt the world over." 



LAFAYETTE. 315 

He spoke of liis joy in looking upon the survivors 
of that heroic band of " venerated men" who here 
inaugurated that resistance to tyrants which is 
obedience to God. 

When these exercises were completed Lafayette 
was introcuced to the revered fourteen of that o-al- 
lant company who, nearly a half-century before, 
had stood on that spot and defended the rights of 
our people in presence of a defiant enemy. After 
warm greetings from the large company around 
him they sat down to a collation, and it was an 
occasion never to be forgotten by those present. 
I was impressed by the personal appearance of our 
guest. He was tall and well proportioned. His head 
was larrge; his face oval and regular, and marked 
by an unmistakable benevolence. His forehead was 
lofty and open ; his eyes were of a grayish blue, 
large and prominent, and surmounted by light and 
w^ell-arched eyebrows. His nose was aquiline, and, 
like his ears, large, both indicating longevity. His 
mouth wore an evidently natural smile. His com- 
plexion was light, and his cheeks were slightly col- 
ored. When he spoke his voice was the organ of 
his soul, indicating a sincerity and frankness that 
fascinated those who talked with him. The French 
accent of his conversation added to the impression 
and interest produced by the whole man. I no- 
ticed he seemed a little lame ; and the marks left 
by his long and dreary imprisonment of two j^ears 
in the dungeon of Olmutz and three years at 
Magdeburg, — in which imprisonments he was ema- 



316 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

ciated by fevers and lost all his hair, — and the 
effect of wounds, received both in our Revolution 
and that of France, were so evident in his form 
and figure as to draw tears, as one reflected on 
the sacrifices and sufferings he had passed through 
in his noble devotion to human freedom. 

The last opportunity I had to see Lafayette was 
when he was present, June 17, 1825, at the lay- 
ing of the corner-stone of Bunker Hill Monument. 
The procession, including a vast array of civil and 
military bodies with banners of every variety 
marched throuojh the streets of Boston amid the 
rapturous applause of spectators looking eagerly 
for the barouche in which rode the cvnosure of all 
eyes. He was followed by forty survivors of the 
battle of Bunker Hill ; the school-children, clad 
in their neatest apparel, were arranged in the 
streets ; the ladies waved their handkerchiefs, and 
the men clapped their hands and uncovered their 
heads, as the hero of the day passed by. How our 
hearts rushed back to that day of terror and 
bloodshed, as we looked on those old men, their 
silver locks, their bending forms, and their ven- 
erated faces. Amono; them was the brave old 
chaplain, the Rev. Joseph Thaxter of Edgartown 
who w\as chaplain of Colonel Prescott's Regiment 
June 17, 1775, and survived, after fifty years had 
elapsed, to raise his voice in prayer to the God 
of armies, who, out of the perils, struggles, and 
death-groans of that fearful strife, brought a united 
nation to liberty and independence. 



LAFAYETTE. 817 

When the procession halted on Bunker Hill, it 
was a long time before, not the " uncounted " but 
seemingly countless " multitude " could be brought 
to order. I found myself forced on by the crowd 
until I was at last in the seats assigned to the 
United States Senate. Mr. Webster at length 
rose and attempted to produce order. " Every 
one, " said he, " rises to bid his neighbor sit down. 
Let all who have seats now, keep them. " In this 
way quiet was at last secured. The ceremony 
first performed was the laying of the corner-stone, 
nnder the direction of King Solomon's Lodge. 
The plate, containing a very long inscription, was 
deposited in its proper place. The Masonic ser- 
vices were conducted by John Abbot, Lafayette 
assistino^; and it added to one's interest in this 
service to recollect that there stood a man who 
had shared with Washington, nearly a half-cen- 
tury before, the labors and pleasures of this an- 
cient order. Then came the literary exercises. 
A grand hymn, written by the Eev. John Pierpont, 
was suna: to the tune of Old Hundred. Then fol- 
lowed the address by Mr. Webster, president of 
the Bunker Hill Monument Association. He was 
then in his prime, about forty years of age. His 
majestic figure, commanding face, and powerful 
voice arrested every eye and ear; and we felt, 
here is a man, an orator, a patriot, who, by a sin- 
gle hour of seeing and hearing him, takes us back 
to the best days of Grecian eloquence. An inspir- 
ing hymn by the Rev. Dr. Flint of Salem, a sol- 



o 



18 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



emn and fervent prayer by the Rev. James Walker 
of Charlestovvn, a touching ode, and the benedic- 
tion by the revered Joseph Thaxter, completed 
the services. 

Although forty survivors of the battle were then 
present, — eighteen years afterward, June 17, 1843, 
when Mr. Webster gave the oration on the com- 
pletion of the Monument, only fourteen of that 
honored band remained. And meantime the ven- 
erated Lafayette had passed away, May 19, 1834, 
at the advanced age of seventy-seven years. 

Lafayette's name and presence, during his jour- 
neys in our land, awakened an extraordinary en- 
thusiasm. 

We may adduce one examjDle as an illustration 
of the reception given him throughout the whole 
country. August 31, 1824, he visited Newbury- 
port. At Ipswich, 9 o'clock p. m., he was met, 
under the escort of a battalion of cavalry from 
that place, by the Newburyport Artillery and the 
Washington Light Inf^xntry. The houses along the 
road, as well as in the streets of Newburyport, were 
illuminated ; and his approach was announced 
by the ringing of bells, the firing of cannon, 
and the display of rockets, as he was conducted 
under an arch — thrown across the head of State 
Street, with the motto, " The Hero of Two Con- 
tinents " — to the residence of James Prince, on 
State Street. Mr. Prince's elegant mansion was 
put in readiness to receive him. He occupied at 
night the apartment in which Washington had 



LAFAYETTE. 319 

slept on his visit to this town in 1789, and the 
furniture had never been changed. On his arrival 
he was addressed by Hon. Ebenezer Moseley as 
follows : — 

General Lafayette, — The citizens of Newbniy- 
poit are happy in this opportunity of gieeting, with the 
warmest welcome, a distinguished benefactor of their 
country. 

The important services you rendered this people in 
tlie day of their distress, the devotedness which you 
manifested in their perilous cause, and the dangers which 
you sought for their relief are incorporated in our his- 
toiy and firmly engraven on our hearts. 

We would lead you to our institutions of learning, 
charity, and religion, we would point you to our hills 
and valleys covered with flocks and smiling in abun- 
dance, that 3'ou may behold the happy effect of those 
princi[)les of liberty which you were so instrumental in 
establishing. Our children cluster about you to receive 
a patriot's blessing'. Our citizens press forward to 
show their gratitude. Our nation pays you a tribute 
which must remove the reproach that republics are 
ungrateful. 

As the zealous advocate of civil liberty, we give you 
welcome ; as the brave defender of an oppressed people 
we make you welcome ; as the friend and companion of 
our immortal Washington, we bid you welcome. 

To this address the General made a brief and 
appropriate reply, in which he modestly said the 
great attention paid him was far beyond his ex- 
pectations or deserts, — that his feelings of attach- 
ment toward this country could not be expressed, 



320 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

but only felt by a heart glawing with the most 
ardent affection. 

At an early hour the next morning a levee was 
held, at which the veteran hero was introduced to 
many of the citizens of Newburyport. The chil- 
dren were not forgotten on the occasion ; and a near 
friend of rmne says she well remembers, when the 
tall man was about leaving, she, a girl only a few 
years old, received from, him a kiss, with tlie 
adieu, " Good-b}', dear little girl." Her father 
told her she must n^ver forget the notice that 
great and good man took of her ; and she has kept 
his injunction to this day. 

The bond between Lafayette and his old com- 
rades in arms was very strong. He was an origi- 
nal member of the Society of the Cincinnati, and 
soon after he reached America, August, 1824, an 
address was made to him by General John Brooks 
in the name of that society. To this Lafayette 
replied in the fallowing to-uching words : — 

Amidst the inexpressible enjoyments wliich press 
upon ray li^art, I coald nat but feel particularly eager 
and happy to meet my beloved brothers-in-arms. Many, 
many I call in vaiii; and, at their head, our matchless 
paternal chie-f, whose- lave to an adopted son, I am 
proud to say, you have long witnessed. 

But, wliile we mourn togetlier for those we have lost, 
while I find a consol'atio^l in the sight of their relations 
and friends, it is to me a delightful gratification to rec- 
Oijnize my surviving companions of our Revolutionary 
army. — that arnty so b^rave, so virtuous, so united by 
mutual confidence and. affection. That we have been 



LAFAYETTE. 12 L 

the faithful soldiers of independence, freedom, and 
equality, those three essential requisites of national 
and personal dignity and happiness, — that we have 
lived to see these sacred principles secured to this vast 
Republic, and cherished elsewhere by all generous minds, 
— shall be the pride of our life, the boast of our chil- 
dren, the comfort of our last moments. Receive, my 
dear brother soldiers, the grateful thanks and constant 
love of your old companion and friend. 

And elsewhere many an old soldier of the Rev- 
olution took him by the hand with tears of joy at 
the privilege. One of these met him at Albany, 
and, as he looked in his face, said : — 

General, I owe my life to you ! I was wounded at 
the battle of Monmouth. You visited me in the hos- 
pital. You gave me two guineas, and one to a person 
to nurse me. To this I owe my recovery, and may the 
blessing of Heaven rest upon you. 

But nothing could have tried Lafayette like 
that affecting scene when, one Sunday morning, 
he visited the tomb of his dearest American friend 
at Mount Vernon. He is accompanied by the step- 
son of Washinoton. There rest the mortal re- 
mains of one whom he loved as he did no other 
beyond his own family, and whose memory fills 
him with a fresh veneration. He stands by the 
grave of his leader and exemplar in youth, his 
model through life, and one whom he hopes to 
meet again at his own not distant departure. On 
this spot Mr. Custis, adding another precious bond 
to his sacred recollections, presents him with a 

21 



322 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



rino" con tain ins: hair once on the head of the im- 
mortal Washington. 

But let us now go back to the first appearance 
of Lafayette on our shores in the Revolution. His 
reception in the army was most enthusiastic. 
" The confidence and attachment of the troops," 
says an eye-witness, who wrote only a year after- 
ward, " are for him invaluable possessions, but 
what is still more flattering for a young man, 
[ he was then, we must recollect, only twenty 
years old ] is the influence and consideration he 
has acquired among the political, as well as the 
military order ; private letters from him have 
frequently produced more effect on some States 
than the strongest exhortations of the Congress. 
On seeing him, one is at a loss which most to ad- 
mire — that so young a man as he should have 
given such eminent proof of talents, or that a 
man so tried should give hopes of so long a ca- 
reer of glory." 

One could hardly exaggerate the esteem and 
affection this French nobleman inspired in our 
countrymen ; it was surpassed only by their love 
of their illustrious chief. He had the secret of 
winning all hearts. Gentle, courteous, frank, dig- 
nified without pride, full of zeal and activity in 
our cause, entirely independent of the court of 
France, he secured at once and uniformly the 
admiration and confidence of our greatest and best 
man, the head of the army. 

His example was powerful on the young men of 



LAFAYETTE. 323 

the whole country. When Lafayette lay wound- 
ed at Bethlehem he was visited, among others, 
by Charles Pinckney, a member of the First Pro- 
vincial Cono-ress from South Carolina at the age 
of twenty-six, from whose pen came at that pe- 
riod productions which would have done honor to 
the head, no less than the heart of the most expe- 
rienced statesman and purest politician of the day. 

What was true of Washington at that crisis 
might, in some respects, have been said of Lafa- 
yette. The remark of Rochefoucauld, that " no 
man is a hero to his valet," would not apply 
to either of these men. Those nearest to Wash- 
ington loved and respected him most. His clear 
head and disinterested heart, the energy of his 
mind and his wise action, were all but a type 
of the same high qualities in Lafayette. Both 
were equal to great emergencies. The ardor of 
the Frenchman never blinded his understanding, 
never diminished his calm and clear good sense. 

There was a certain resemblance in the exterior 
of the two men. The fine figure of our great 
commander had its counterpart in the early days 
of our noble French ally. The physiognomy of 
Washington, mild and agreeable, made his face 
attractive. Neither grave nor familiar, he in- 
spired respect and secured confidence; if his smile 
was rare, it was never cynical or sarcastic, but 
the smile of benevolence. All this might be said, 
from his earliest to his latest day, of the heroic, 
the gentle, and the generous Lafayette. 



324 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

It is evident that Washington gained and se- 
cured his vast influence largely through his cau- 
tion ; this amounted in many cases to the strictest 
secrecy. Very few of the men nearest in per- 
son to him enjoyed his perfect confidence. His 
plans and operations were kept largely to him- 
self. But Lafayette from the first secured the 
confidence of his chief. That, in his extreme 
youthfulness as a major-general, he did this, shows 
the rare penetration of Washington into char- 
acter. He seldom erred in his judgment of men; 
and in this case he seems to have found a man, who, 
to the ardor of the Frenchman, joined a sagacity 
and wisdom worthy of other and the gravest na- 
tions. He gave Lafayette, for instance, at the most 
critical moment, before the engagement at Mon- 
mouth, the honor and responsibility of confronting 
the attack of the enemy until his owm army was 
perfectly formed ; and the result justified his re- 
liance upon him. 

This confidence was justified by the power La- 
fayette afterward showed, when he calmed that 
fearful mob in the Faubourg St. Antoine, at the com- 
mencement of the French Revolution. His message 
to Washington, sent through Colonel Trumbull 
at that period, startles us by its masterly pre- 
diction of scenes that actually followed in the 
sequel of that bloody drama. The tender regard 
and gratitude of Washington for Lafayette were 
shown in one of his subsequent letters to him, 
congratulating his country on the King's accept- 



LAFAYETTE. 325 

ance of the constitution offered to him by the 
National Assembly. After referring in terms of 
sympathy and hope to the condition of France at 
that moment, he closes in this grand spirit toward 
Lafayette personally : — 

No one will rejoice in your felicity, and for the no- 
ble and disinterested part you have acted, more than 
your sincere friend and truly affectionate servant, 

Geo. Washington, 

This reliance and trust were seen throughout 
their military relations, not in the field alone, but 
in the camp, where Washington and his friend, 
in their social hours, would sit together, enjoying 
their wine, then the universal beverage, in modei a- 
tion ; the nuts, hard hickory, would fill up the 
evening, a dish of apples being the supplement. 
This simple repast, taken with unbent brow and 
liberated speech, illustrated and cemented the pe- 
culiar and lifelong friendship of those two men. 

No sketch of Lafayette is complete which does 
not present him in his near and special relations 
to Washington. All personal reminiscences of 
the two men by cotemporary writers should be 
supplemented by records of these close interviews. 
It is said that Washington took at once to Lafay- 
ette when introduced to him, a youth of nineteen 
who had left his home, his newly connected wife, 
his country, his all, in the dark hour of our early 
struggles with one of the mightiest powers on 
the globe for freedom and national independ- 



326 REMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

ence. The act itself must have prepossessed our 
noble commander-in-chief; and Lafjij^ette's per- 
sonal appearance added to this attraction. His 
cultivated bearing, ingenuous manuer, the self- 
devotion and sacrifice written on every feature of 
the portraits we have of him at that period of 
his life, no less than his subsequent deportment, 
confirmed the love and respect of Washington ; 
and their friendship was strengthened by the gal- 
lant conduct and the faithftd services of Lafayette 
to the last. 

We are fortunate in having descriptions of their 
intercourse written both by American and foreign 
witnesses. One especially b}^ the Marquis de 
Chastelhix, a French traveller, brings before us 
vividly an interview at which Lafiiyette was pres- 
ent with that visitor at the quarters of Washing- 
ton. We here see the latter in his military family 
and at his usual dinner table. His guest is pre- 
sented to Generals Knox, Wavne, etc., and to 
his family, then composed of Colonels Hamil- 
ton and Tighlman, his secretaries, and his nides- 
de-camp, and of Major Gibbs, commander of his 
guards. " I soon felt myself," writes the Marquis 
de Chastellux, " at ease near the greatest and the 
best of men. The goodness and benevolence 
which characterize him are evident from every- 
thing about him; but the confidence he gives 
birth to never occasions improper fiimiliarity. " 
The next day Washington puts his army in mo- 
tion, including the light infantry, " which were de- 



LAFAYETTE. 327 

tached with the Marquis de Lafaytte." After a 
review of the troops, the General proposes a visit 
to the camp of Lafayette, which is accepted, and 
the guest enjoys the hospitahty of the latter. 
The party soon rejoin the quarters of General 
Washington, where are " about twenty guests, 
among them General Saint Clair. The repast 
was in the English fashion, consisting of eight 
or ten large dishes of butcher's meat and poul- 
try, with vegetables of several sorts, followed by 
a second course of pastry, comprised under the 
two denominations of pies and puddings." Tlie 
cloth is removed, and apples and a great quantity 
of nuts are served, which General Washington 
usually continues eating for about two hours. 
" These nuts are small and dry, and have so hard 
a shell [ hickory nuts ] that they can only be 
broken by the hammer ; they are served half- 
open, and the company are never done picking 
and eating them. The conversation was calm and 
agreeable. His Excellency was pleased to enter 
with me into the particulars of some of the prin- 
cipal operations of the war, but always with 
a modesty and conciseness which proved that it 
was from pure complaisance he mentioned it. " 
The drinking of wane, the prolonged toasting, I 
omit, adding — what is a more pleasant circum- 
stance to us, with our present social customs and 
habits — the testimony of a foreigner : " But to do 
justice to the Americans, they themselves feel the 
ridicule of these customs, borrowed from Old Eng- 
land, and since laid aside by her." 



328 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

It was not unusual for the British to speak with 
contempt of Lafiyette when he joined our army, 
on account of his youth. When Lord CornwalHs 
took command of the British forces in Virginia he 
felt himself so superior to the Americans that he 
triumphed in his prospect of success. Despising 
the youth of his opponent, Lafayette, he unguard- 
edly wrote to Great Britain, The hoij cannot 
escape me. This boy, in the sequel, sent Gen- 
eral Wayne, with about three hundred Penn- 
sylvania riflemen, to watch the British army in 
Virginia ; and soon we read that, " with a handful 
of Pennsylvanians, he frightened into a retreat the 
whole of Cornwallis's army of undaunted Britons." 

One who saw Lafixyette at the age of twenty- 
one says : " He is nearly six feet high, large 
but not corpulent. He is not very elegant in 
form, his shoulders being broad and high, nor is 
there a perfect symmetry in his features ; his fore- 
head is remarkably high, his nose large and long, 
eyebrows prominent and projecting over a fine, 
animated, hazel eye. His countenance is interest- 
ing and impressive. He converses in broken Eng- 
lish, and displays the manners and address of an 
accomplished gentleman." 

An eye-witness, who saw Lafaj'ette after he was 
brought on a litter from the Brandy wine battle, 
contrasts his appearance at that time and at the pe- 
riod of his visit to this country by invitation from 
Congress. " He was then tall and slender, and of 
a rather light complexion. After a lapse of forty- 



LAFAYETTE. 329 

seven years I again met him, a few days after his 
landing at New York, in August, 1824. It was with 
difficulty I could realize him to be the same man 
I had seen almost a half-century before at Bethle- 
hem. I could scarcely discover the slightest resem- 
blance. Age, wounds, and care had completely 
metamorphosed him in person and features." 

There are, or have been, those who, infected by 
the old English prejudices, which, I regret to say, 
have not yet wholly died out, call Lafayette " a 
weak man." Even Washimrton had enemies in 
his lifetime, who on certain occasions charged 
him with indecision and a want of energy. Men of 
great wisdom, calmness, and deliberation are often 
subject to this reproach. But time rebuts such 
groundless accusations. Looking in the worn face 
of Lafaj^ette, and recalling his noble jDast, one 
could not but repeat the fitting tribute, 



<( V.l 



E'en in their ashes live theii' wonted fires." 

What a history gathered about that failing 
form. Looking recently at his portrait, painted, I 
think, by order of Washington, which represents 
him as he appeared when he volunteered, at the 
age of nineteen, to serve without pay in the cause 
of the American Revolution, I could not conceive 
of him as a " weak " man. It is a face which, 
although gentle and instinct with kindness, is full 
of fire, energy, and resolution. 

If you doubt his force and decision of character, 
see him in the great struggle at Yorktown. This 



330 EEMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

is the account we have " from the narrative of an 
old soldier of the American army, who was met 
by M. Levaseur in the neighborhood of Yorktown 
in 1824," and was himself an eye-witness of and 
took part in the engagement which he describes. 

October 1781, after five days' contest, in which 
Washington put the match to the first gun him- 
self, the British were left masters of no external 
works except two large redoubts ; these Washing- 
ton determined to take. Lafayette, at the head of 
the American light infantry, was ordered to at- 
tack the redoubt on the left of the besieged troops. 
He thought nothing but a bold and rapid onset 
would enable yoiuig soldiers, like his, to carry en- 
trenchments defended by disciplined troops. He 
formed his men in solid column, ordered the whole 
of his division at the word of command to fire ; 
he then headed them himself, and, supported by 
the proffered aid of the noble and intrepid Alex- 
ander Hamilton, charged, sword in hand, through 
the mounds in the face of the enemy's fire, forced 
his way into the redoubt and in a few minutes 
carried it, with the loss of only a handful of men. 

Cornwallis, on the 17th, demanded a parley, 
and on the 19th surrendered his army; in the 
presence of Generals Rochambeau and Lafay- 
ette, his sword was delivered, throuo-h the crallant 
O'Hara, to Washington. It is a singular coinci- 
dence that, in 1824, forty-three years after this 
battle, Lafayette was in Yorktown, and stopped 
at the very house then occupied by CornwaUis, 



LAFAYETTE. 331 

and tlie rooms were lighted by a remnant of the 
same wax candles once used by Cornwallis. 

Nothing is more touching, as a proof of the 
heroism of Lafayette, and the attachment and 
bravery of his soldiers at that siege, than his meet- 
ing on that spot, in 1824, one of the veteran sur- 
vivors of that battle, who, seizing the General by 
the hand, exclaimed : " I was with you at York- 
town ; I entered yonder redoubt at your side. I 
too, was at the side of the gallant De Kalb, your 
associate in arms, when he fell in the field." The 
tears poured from his eyes as Lafayette, showing 
his emotion, said, " Yes, my brave soldier, I am 
happy to have lived to meet you once more." 

Indeed the single fact that Washington took 
Lafayette, almost from the first, to his bosom con- 
fidence, speaks volumes for the force, as well as 
sweetness of his character. 

His heroism never shone forth on the battle- 
field more brightly than it did at one moment in 
the Reign of Terror in his own country. He 
has ])raved the excited mob in his place with the 
National Guard. Tlie hour has come when the 
King is to be murdered. Lafayette stands by him, 
never more calm than at this fearful moment ] but 
even the mad populace are awe-struck when they 
see him step forward, take the Queen's hand, and 
kiss it. Truly this is the " hero of two worlds ! " 

The whole connection of Lafayette with our 
country seems, as we review it, like a romance. He 
no sooner learns the character of the war in 



o 



32 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



America than lie resolves to offer liis services in 
our cause ; he asks Franklin, one of our commis- 
sione-rs in Paris, to secure him a passage in the 
first public ship sent to our shores. He replies, 
" we have not the means or the credit to procure a 
vessel in all the ports of France." '"'• Then," says 
the youthful hero, " I will provide my own." 
And when our country was too poor to offer him a 
passage to America, he left all the wealth and hon- 
ors before him, and hastened to our aid, offering 
generously to serve without pay. He left a 
home of plenty and peace, and plunged into our 
scenes of poverty and blood. From the camp at 
Valley Forge he writes his wife : " We are in 
small barracks which are scarcely more cheerful 
than duno-eons." The men had made these huts 
of logs and mud, and there this noble man, with 
Greene, Steuben, and other officers of high rank, 
passed one of the dreariest winters of the whole 
war. 

Contrast that day of small things, and of the 
darkest prospects, with the period, when, after 
forty years, he revisits our country. He lands at 
New York amid shouts and national salutes ; he 
visits the east ; Boston sends her greeting in the 
form of an immense military array, and twelve 
hundred horsemen as an escort. He is borne five 
thousand miles in triumph from Maine to Florida, 
in relays of vehicles — it is before the day of rail- 
ways — until he again reaches Boston to join in 
the magnificent celebration of the fiftieth anni- 



LAFAYETTE. 833 

versary of the battle of Bunker Hill. Soon every 
one of us puts on his badge inscribed " Welcome, 
Lafayette." Our theatres cannot go on with their 
ordinary performances unless they sing odes in his 
praise. The following verse was inscribed on a 
banner hung across Washington Street, at the 
corner of Dover Street, when Lafayette entered 
Boston : — 

The fathers in glory shall sleep, 

That gathered with thee to the fight; 
But the sons will eternally keep 
The tablet of gratitude bright. 
We bow not the neck ; we bend not the knee : 
But our hearts, Lafayette, we surrender to thee ! 

This was a selection from the now historic ode 
by Charles Sprague, which was that day sung for 
the first time, and which roused my heart as I 
listened to its stirring strains. 

When Lafayette liad completed his more than 
regal progress over our borders, he returned again 
to his home. At length, full of years and honors, 
" his silver temples were laid in their last repose." 
Memorable was the scene of his burial at Paris in 
the cemetery of Picpus, where, by his request his 
body was placed by the side of Madame de Lafay- 
ette's. No words were uttered, the tears and sobs 
of his friends bearing sufficient testimony to his 
worth. After the customary prayers the earth 
sent from America was mingled with that of his 
loved nation; muskets were discharged in honor of 
his military rank, and the throng, not the rich and 



o 



34 REMINISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 



titled alone, but the bumble poor wbom he had 
blest, turned a last sad look to the spot where he 
rested, while a few of his kindred paused, loath 
to quit that garden of death, the gateway of 
immortalitv. 

After the tidings of his departure had reached 
us we gathered in Faneuil Hall to listen to the eu- 
logy of Everett which thrilled all hearts, as he 
alone could, on such occasions. I remember well 
the moment when he turned to that grand picture 
of Washington by Stuart and exclnimcd, "Speak, 
o;lorious Washing;ton, break the lonsc silence of 
that votive canvas ; " and then, apostrophizing the 
bust of Lafjiyette that stood on the platform be- 
fore him, he pressed on with these electric words : 
" Speak, speak, marble lips, teach us the love of 
liberty protected by law." A chastened rapture, 
accompanied by tears, ran through exery heart ; 
and the vast audience, as we gazed on the features 
of Washington, almost felt that those lips would 
respond to the orator's appeal, and bid us be sons 
worthy our sires. 

We mav never foro;et, that while we owe it to 
many others in France, who united with him, that 
our independence was at last secured, — to the 
valiant Rochambeau, whose arrival in America 
gave Washington a joy second only to that he felt 
at the coming of Lafayette, and who with his six 
thousand men had a lariije share in forcino; Corn- 
wallis to capitulate at Yorktown, October 19, 1781, 
and to De Grasse for his most timely naval assist- 



LAFAYETTE. 335 

ance, — there was one other to whom our debt is 
inferior only to our unmeasured obhgations to 
Washington himself. No ordinary memorials 
should satisfy the hearts of the American people, 
when they turn to the sacrifices of this man in our 
cause. It was a touching tribute that a few of 
our citizens offered to the memory of our great 
beneftictor a few years ago. Being at Paris on the 
return of our autumnal Thanksgiving, they went 
out of the thronged city, and, taking a wreath of 
immortelles, laid it tenderly and reverently on the 
simple tomb of Lafayette, which is in the burying- 
ground of the convent of the Sisters of the Sacred 
Heart. 

One debt still remains to be paid to our illustri- 
ous friend and ally. We have sought to honor him 
and perpetuate his fame in many ways, b}^ naming 
our children for him, by calling streets and towns 
after him, by blending his history closely with our 
own at very many points. But while others have 
had this distinction shown them, not more entitled 
to it than he, not a sin trie statue worth v of him has 
yet been erected in his honor. The University of 
V^ermont proposes (1882), and is the first to pro- 
pose, paying him this long-delayed tribute. These 
centennial years should not all pass without some 
testimonial of this kind being at least initiated in 
the Capital of our country. Let this be done 
promptly and uuitedl}^ by this widespread nation. 
In this way — and when our cities and the people 
at large pour out their gifts in this offering to our 



336 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



foremost friend and helper in the day of our ex- 
treme need — we shall demonstrate to the world 
that a republic can be and is grateful to one of its 
noblest benefactors. 







liji^.-.-^-. 



MOUNT VERNON. 



CHAPTER XX. 

EMERSON THE PATRIOT. 

Ralph Waldo Emersox, born May 25, 1803, 
\vh03e death, April 27, 1882, was so recently 
recorded, demands a prominent notice in these 
pages, partly for his Revolutionary family. Within 
a half-century the most varying epithets have been 
applied to him. In his early life admired as a 
preacher, denounced ere long as a heretic, to-day 
his numerous eulogists give him diverse desig- 
nations. Men of all denominations unite in call- 
ing him a prophet, and — if not altogether yet 
almost — a Christian. Thinker, genius, philo- 
sopher, poet, essayist, leader, and king in how 
many realms, there is one more name which I 
think he richly deserves. He was, by eminence, 
a Patriot. 

He stood in the eighth generation, on both 
father's and mother's side, in the clerical line. He 
bore marks of this lineasre so clear that all who 
knew or saw him perceived, in his air and manner, 
traces, never to be eliminated, of the clergyman. 
With equal distinctness, under the great law of he- 
redity, he showed himself a genuine American. 

22 



538 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Wherever the interests of his country were at stake, 
he spoke and acted his part well. The spirit of the 
Revolution was born and bred in him through his 
ancestry. On the father's side, his grandfother, 
WilUam Emerson, after being pastor of the church 
in Concord about ten years, resigned his office, 
August 16, 1776, and joined the American army 
at Ticonderoga as chaplain. Attacked by disease, 
he was led by advice of his physician, to relinquish 
that office, and, while attempting to return home, 
he died on the way at Rutland, Vermont, at the 
age of thirty-three years, and was buried with 
military honors. 

No one who knew them both could fail to re- 
mark the indebtedness of Ralph Waldo Emerson to 
his mother. Frederika Bremer, after her visit at 
his house, writes of him : " He is a born noble- 
man." An acquaintance with the mother makes 
us feel the truth and force of these words. I can 
never quite separate the two in memory. What 
intelligence, what sweetness, what wisdom, what 
strength of character, met in that fortunate wo- 
man. The figure and the face of the parent fore- 
shadowed what was developed in the child. Of 
commanding aspect, and yet most modest, she 
claimed very little, but received ready attention. 
The dark, liquid eye and benevolent smile once 
seen could never be forgotten. The queen of 
her household, and fitted to grace larger positions, 
self-possessed and dignified, she moved forward 
with equal step, sensitive, placid, serene, — toward 



EMERSON THE PATIUOT. 339 

man sincere and kind, and toward her Father 
on high (none could doubt it) loyal, loving and 
devout. 

Mr. Emerson's mother married, as her second 
husband. Rev. Ezra Ripley, minister of Concord, 
who was filled with the fire of the Revolution, and 
by deeds, if not arms, took a most able part in 
sustaining the cause of his country at that trying 
crisis. Mary Emerson, one of this family in its 
direct line, married William Cogswell of Concord, 
who was in the American army at Cambridge in 
1776, and also in 1778 at Rhode Island. 

With such a lineage Ralph Waldo Emerson 
could not but be inspired with an undying interest 
in the history of the War of the Revolution. 
Read his hymn for the celebration of the inau- 
guration of the Concord monument, April 19, 1836. 
These immortal lines have stirred patriotic hearts 
down to this hour : — 

By the rude bridge that arched the flood, 
Their flag to April breeze unfurled, 
Here once the embattled farmers stood, 
And fired the shot heard round the world. 



Spirit that made these heroes dare 
To die, and leave their children free, 
Bid time and nature gently spare 
The shaft we raise to them and thee. 



And his patriotic effiisions were not limited to 
his ow^n immediate locality. They embraced with 



340 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

equal ardor his State — as testified by the verse 
that follows — and his whole country : — 

As in the day of sacrifice, 
When heroes piled the pyre, 
The dismal Massachusetts ice 
Burned more than others' fire. 

We cannot doubt that the father of Mr. Emer- 
son, born in 1769, as a boy in his first fourteen 
years to the close of the war in 1783, must have 
been aroused to a sympathy in the Kevolutionary 
zeal all around him, and transmitted it in after life 
to voung; Waldo. And livino-, too, in his child- 
hood in Boston, he must often have gone to hear 
sermons and orations on liberty in the renowned 
Old South Church. William Emerson, when min- 
ister at Harvard, preached the Artillery Election 
sermon in Boston, and w^ithout doubt it was its 
eloquent and patriotic strains which so stirred 
members of the First Church, that it led to his call 
as pastor to that society. This was " the first 
instance," said his aggrieved Harvard people, " in 
which one society stole a minister from another." 

My recollection of Emerson extends back to his 
seventeenth year, when I entered Harvard College, 
he being then in the senior class. His fine face 
and figure attracted the attention of us Freslmien ; 
his poem on Class Day gave indication of his future 
success in verse, no less than prose ; and his elo- 
quent words in his ''conference part " at commence- 
ment, on the " Character of John Knox" indicated 



EMERSON THE PATRIOT. 341 

in simple, terse, and forcible periods the claims of 
the great Scottish reformer. In 1826 Mr. Emer- 
son began to preach ; and it was while he occupied 
a room in Divinity Hall, that, as his neighbor in 
the same building, I became personally acquainted 
with him. He had then, as ever, great faith in 
the promptings of nature, which gave him a strong 
individuality. I saw clearly, from that time, that 
Mr. Emerson was to be a marked man, in private 
as in public. His language was keen and piquant 
in conversation, no less than in his writings. Speak- 
ing of one in the building, he said, "S is 

queer : he talks in scraps." 

He was sought as a candidate for many pulpits. 
A new society had been formed in Boston, and 
four preachers were asked to fill the desk for suc- 
cessive Sundays, that one of them might be se- 
lected as a candidate for settlement. Mr. Emerson 
was invited to preach on one of these Sundays. 
Referrino; to this circumstance, I asked him which 
day he should accept : '' I shall decline to go at 
all," was his prompt reply ; " this competition is 
rather too " close." His conceptions of personal 
dignity and self-respect were here, as everywhere, 
very delicate ; and his manner, though modest, 
could be pronounced and decided. He was some- 
times thought by strangers to be proud. Nothing 
was more unjust. I have heard him speak to a 
domestic in his house with as much kindness and 
consideration as he would manifest to a near mem- 
ber of his own family. 



342 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

He was settled as colleague pastor with Rev. 
Henry Ware, in the Second Church of Boston. 
During his ministry, after Mr. Ware had resigned 
and become a professor in the Cambridge Divinity 
School, Mr. Emerson married me to a member of 
his society. I can never forget the impressive 
manner in which that service was performed ; and 
the remembrance of that hour, to which he often 
referred with his genial smile when we met, has 
been to me no ordinary privilege and pleasure. 

When Mr. Emerson resigned his office as pas- 
tor, many hearts were grieved at the cause of it, 
■while every one accorded him praise for his sin- 
cerity and conscientiousness. He had come to the 
conclusion that the communion service was not in- 
tended to be a perpetual rite, and not believing in 
its value and efficacy, he made known to his church 
that he could no longer conscientiously administer 
this ordinance. They differed from him so decid- 
edly in regard to its authority and value that he 
felt constrained, on this account, finally to resign 
his office, and with a tender farewell, in the tone 
of which with one heart they united, he left his 
society. 

Soon he became noticed for his suspected 
heresies, and I recollect witnessing the effect of 
his standing which showed itself on one particular 
occasion. At the annual Unitarian festival, among 
those invited to give addresses was Father Tay- 
lor, of the Methodist Bethel Church in Boston. 
" You Unitarians," he said in his speech, " are 



EMERSON THE PATRIOT. 343 

awfully honest What is to become of your 

heretic Emerson ? I don't know where he will "o 
when he dies. He is hardly good enough to be 
accepted in Heaven, and yet (the dear creature) 
Satan would n't know what to do with him." 

Waldo Emerson mijj-ht have drawn somethino; 
of his moral bravery from his renowned ancestor, 
Peter Waldo, the founder, in the twelfth century, 
of the noble old W\aldenses. That Christian hero 
exhibited his moral independence by so far de- 
parting fi'om the fixith of the Romish Church that 
in 1184 he and his followers were formally excom- 
municated by Pope Lucius HI. 

Mr. Emerson felt a deep interest in all that per- 
tains to the life and health of our nation. One of 
our best critics says of him : " He is the most I'e- 
publican of republicans." Lowell the j)oet, in an 
admirable notice of Emerson, affirms that " to 
him, more than to all other causes, did the young 
martyrs of our Civil War owe the sustaining 
streno-th and thousj-htful heroism that is so touchino; 
in every record of their lives." In a letter writ- 
ten during that sad yet needful struggle Emerson 
gives this decided testimony of a custom of na- 
tions, which, although as yet almost universal, is 
abhorrent to some of the best instincts of our 
higher nature: "I shall always respect war here- 
after. The cost of life, the dreary havoc of com- 
fort and time, are overpaid by the vistas it opens 
of eternal life, eternal law, reconstructing and 
uplifting society, — breaks up the old horizon, and 
we see through the rifts a wider." 



344 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

All his essays, notably those on Character, Poli- 
tics, and New England Reforms, one in the "Atlan- 
tic," entitled, " American Civilization," and that 
read in the Old South, February, 1878, entitled 
" Fortune of the Republic," abundantly show his 
public spirit. He aided every measure designed 
to educate the community in liberal principles, 
broad views, and a thorough personal culture. 
" We should cling," said he, " to the common 

school Let us educate every soul." He 

thought highly of the system of public lectures, 
and gave at least three for the purchase of the 
Old South Church, as a memorial of the Revolu- 
tion. To the lyceum in his own town. Concord, 
he gave, during his life, one hundred lectures. I 
recall an occasion, when, after my reading in that 
lyceum a lecture on the importance of training 
and securing good teachers for our public schools, 
he, in his earnest manner, said to me, " A good 
teacher is as rare as a good poet." 

It was a treat to attend the lectures of Mr. 
Emerson. He gave, in successive winter seasons, 
in Boston and other cities, beginning in 1834, for 
many years, some forty or fifty different lectures, 
and often whole courses. It was a special jDlea- 
sure to listen to him year by year. At first, by 
his quaint, terse, and richly laden sentences, he 
seemed to perplex some of our wisest men. I 
sat, one evening, quite near the Hon. Jeremiah 
Mason, — a man who could penetrate into the 
deepest depths of the law so long as the speaker 



EMERSON THE PATEIOT. 345 

or writer kept to the " dry light." But Emerson, 
I saw, sorely tried him. Two ladies by his side 
evidently enjoyed every word they heard. The 
next day Mr. Mason, it is said, being asked how 
lie liked Emerson, replied: "Oh, I couldn't under- 
stand him at all. You must ask my daughters 
about him ; they took it all in." 

Meeting him one day, after one of his lectures, 
at the store of Little & Brown, where Rev. Dr. 
Francis and others were present, we were express- 
ing our satisfaction at what we had heard from 
him, when Dr. Francis remarked : " You must 
have spent a long time in preparing your lectures, 
they are so full of thought and of historical mate- 
rial." " Oh, no," said Mr. Emerson ; " I never 
write until I am driven to it by the time each 
week." And sometimes, while listening to his 
lectures, they seemed almost extemporaneous. 
They struck one as full of thoughts entirely fresh 
and original, and in some passages as if the inspi- 
ration of the hour. There was sometimes, in the 
beginning of a sentence, a little hesitancy, as if he 
was waiting for a word or words to be given him 
for utterance at the moment. Still they must have 
been, we know, the result of long premeditation 
as well as extensive reading. If there was ever 
an appearance of disregard of manner in his utter- 
ances, this was not true of him. I recollect hear- 
ing him, while he was a student in Divinity Hall, 
reading nloud, evidently for the benefit of his 
voice ; and he would occasionally take up a vol- 



346 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

lime from his table in which he had the speeches 
of Webster and Everett bound together. "Ever- 
ett," he once said to me, "is a great word- 
catcher." 

Mr. Emerson's interest in antislavery was pro- 
found and unremitting. I remember only one 
instance in which his sweet serenity seemed for 
an instant to leave him. After the execution of 
John Brown, a meeting was called in Boston for 
indignant denimciation of that act. Mr. Emerson 
was one of the speakers. Sitting quite near the 
platform and in front of him, I saw^ his face w^ore 
a passing shade and a slight frown, as if the terror 
of the deed we had met to consider and comment 
upon was too great for human endurance. 

Mr. Emerson always took the broadest view of 
every subject before him. At a meeting of the 
Sunday-school Society in Concord, a few years 
since, the people opened their houses liberally, 
and invited those at the church to dine with them. 
The invitation to his table was most cordial. It 
gives one no ordinary pleasure to be told, under 
such a roof, that his name is " familiar as house- 
hold words." And the country was not forgotten, 
for I noticed under each plate was a slip on which 
was written "National Unitarian Sunday-school 
Convention." 

In a book on the families of men of the Revolu- 
tion it would be unjust to pass by another name, 
associated with his own, — that of his brother, 
Edward Bliss Emerson, a college classmate of 



EMERSOX THE PxVTPdOT. 347 

mine. He bore a name honored in American 
history, and especially so in his brother, since 
then of world-wide fame. Had his life been pro- 
longed, he would have given to that name an en- 
hanced and imperishable lustre. I see him to-day 
as then, more than half a century ago, gifted with 
rare personal beauty, an eye large and beaming 
with genius, and a face radiant not more with a 
surpassing intellect than a fascinating sweetness. 
He had a mind uniting strength and fertile re- 
sources, and even then stored with ample reading, 
a character manly and influential, and a rever- 
ence for divine things seldom equalled at his age. 
I recall an oration of his at one of our " exhibi- 
tions," mature in thought, sparkling with illustra- 
tion, full of Scriptural allusions, and delivered with 
a grace and power which showed him destined to 
stand in the front rank, as of scholarship, so of 
oratory. Alas that, within the brief space of ten 
years, the frail body overmastered by a peerless 
although at last clouded intellect, he passed on, 
and left an irremovable shadow over the class 
of 1824 ! 

Meeting Mr. Emerson occasionally toward his 
last days, and finally at the funeral of a kindred po- 
etic genius, the lamented Longfellow, — children's 
friend, and a friend honored and cherished wher- 
ever our language is spoken, — I saw no change, 
save that the smile of his youth and manhood had 
become sweeter with his approaching end, and the 
grasp of his hand had become warmer. And 



348 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



when, at his own so soon followmg obsequies, I 
looked on that noble form, fitly robed in his angel 
apparel of white, the placid face spoke of the 
upper serenities in which he had trusted, and on 
which he had now entered. 




JAMES RUSSELL LOWELL. 



CHAPTER XXI. 

THE SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION. 

These pages have been devoted largely to the 
officers of the Revolutionary army. I think, in a 
work of this description, we ought not to lose 
sio-ht of the men who constituted the rank and 
file of our military forces. The common soldier, 
who did his work well in a subordinate position, de- 
serves a distinct notice in the annals of that 
period. What could the ablest general have ac- 
complished without the support of the men in 
each separate command below him, as they stood 
shoulder to shoulder in the ranks ? 

We are hardly aware of the disadvantages un- 
der which our officers were placed, at many points 
of the contest, in regard to the forces under their 
command. The British army was made up, not 
only of good officers, but of men who had been 
thoroughly drilled and fitted for the service ; 
while our army was composed largely of raw 
troops, coming from the f;xrm or the workshop, 
with no military discipline or experience. They 
were destitute even of common clothing in many 
cases, provided with no proper arms, and in no 



350 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

sense fitted for the stern tasks before them. 
They were placed at once in the front, obhged to 
meet a foe accustomed to war and at home on the 
battle-field. They enlisted usually for short terms, 
and frequently they had hardly time to learn the 
alphabet of military tactics before their term of 
service expired. Taken sometimes into a new 
country, and scenes quite new to them, they could 
not adapt themselves readily to their position, and 
experienced all the hardships of war without any 
of its palliating circumstances. In some cases, 
while their officers had comforts in their tents and 
on their table, the privates were compelled to sleep 
without even a shelter from the elements, and to 
subsist on the poorest rations and a scanty supply 
perhaj^s even of these. 

In September, 1777, Washington writes: "At 
least one thousand men were barefooted, and per- 
formed the marches in that condition." At one 
time they were three days without bread ; on an- 
other two days without a particle of meat ; they had 
no soap or vinegar. Of still a third day we read : 
'' Few men had more than one shirt, many only the 
moiety of one, and more none at all." During the 
dreary winter at Valley Forge their connnander 
writes, February IG, 1778, "For some days past 
there has been little less than a famine in the 
camp ; a part of the army has been a week with- 
out any kind of flesh, and the rest three or four 
days. Naked and starving as they are, we cannot 
enough admire the incomparable patience and 



THE SOLDIER OF THE KEVOLUTION. 351 

fidelity of the soldiery, that they have not been 
ere this excited by their sufferings to a general 
mutiny and dispersion." Congress was somethnes 
unable, from inability to supply their wants, to 
grant them relief; or its commissaries, by their 
negligence, selfishness, or inefficiency, left the 
army to suffer on without help or hope. 

And this was not all ; they were surrounded and 
beset by Loyalists, who were working against them 
every way in their power ; and those who refused 
to join the English army were sometimes taken by 
force and delivered up to its officers, Lafayette 
complained that there were great "numbers who, 
without actually taking up arms, made it their 
main object to injure the friends of liberty and to 
give useful intelligence to those of despotism ; " 
and Washington, at one crisis, describes himself as 
"in an enemy's country." 

Another source of difficulty was the depreciated 
state of the currency. The Jersey line of the 
army, in a memorial to their State legislature, 
state that " four months' pay of a private would 
not procure for his family a single bushel of 
wheat." The Connecticut line at one time refused 
to accept the depreciated paper money, and a com- 
mittee of Congress, after examining the state of 
Washington's army, reported that it had been un- 
paid for five months, " that every department 
of the army was without money, and had not even 
the shadow of credit left." 

And, furthermore, the trial of the patience and 



352 REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

loyalty of the army was tested where depend- 
ence could no longer be placed upon volunteer 
troops, but the colonists were com^Delled to fill up 
the ranks of the army by a compulsory draft from 
the local militia. This measure increased the 
dangers of discontent, desertions, and disloyalty to 
the American cause. 

But still the great body of the army remained 
f^iithful and true ; and the record of our men, amid 
such surroundings, is often worthy of the highest 
commendation. There were indeed those who 
complained of their lot, and were restless, and at 
times insubordinate. But the rank and file of the 
armies were habitually obedient to their officers 
and showed a soldierly deportment ; and before we 
condemn any instance of a contrary appearance 
and reputation, we are bound to look fully and 
fairly into all the evidence of the case. See what 
they actually endured, and you will, in a vast ma- 
jority of cases, find the bearing of our soldiers was 
calm, dignified and patient, and worthy of high 
praise. 

The progress of the war, the success of our arms, 
on the whole, from day to day, and the energy with 
which our men rose above defeat and discourage- 
ment, justify the position I take on their behalf. 
The result shows that not only were the officers 
firm in their adhesion to the cause of liberty and 
independence, but that this noble spirit extended 
through the ranks, down to those who enlisted as 
privates, and remained in the ranks and received 



THE SOLDIER OF THE EEVOLUTION. 353 

an honorable discbarge at the close of tbeir ser- 
vices. Their names should go down to the latest 
posterity as having borne the burden and heat of 
the war, as being unambitious of fame, and con- 
tent with the name and reward of the patient, 
persistent, good and true common soldier. 

I wish to speak of an individual remarkable as 
a representative of the good soldier remaining in 
the ranks, and still further for the extraordinary 
age which he reached, being for some time the 
sole survivor of those who witnessed the battle of 
Bunker Hill. I had an opportunity to see him at 
a Whig celebration in Boston, in the year 1850, 
when he was ninety-five years old. He had a 
large and well-shaped head ; his eyes were blue, 
and their expression mild ; and his whole counte- 
nance beamed with benevolence. Being asked 
at that time if he had no children then living, 
he replied, " Yes, I have two sons." '' Why did 
you not bring them with you?" He answered, 
" I did n't w\int to be plagued with the boys." 
"What are their ages?" "Oh, one is seventy, 
the other seventy-two." 

Fortunately we have a letter from one who vis- 
ited him in 18G0, which furnishes us a minute de- 
scription of his personal appearance, and an account 
of a conversation with him, the substance of which 
I give. Ralph Farnham was born in Lebanon, 
Maine, on the 7th of July, 1756; his residence was 
in Acton, Maine, and he was, at this interview, in 
the one hundred and fifth year of his age. His 

23 



354 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMOKIALS. 

sight was not materially dimmed ; his memory, es- 
pecially for things of former years, still good ; his 
mental powers in general seemed unimpaired and 
his health excellent. 

He was quite ready to converse, and repeated 
many Revolutionary anecdotes with spirit and 
great enjoyment. Within six weeks of the time 
when he was nineteen years old he enlisted in the 
Continental army. His name was first enrolled 
on the 26th of May, 1775, and on the 31st of the 
same month, with his fellow-soldiers from Maine, 
he reached Cambridge, Massachusetts. The com- 
pany to which he belonged was detailed to guard 
the artillery at Cambridge Common, where Gen- 
eral Ward expected an attack from the British as 
well as at Charlestown. Before the battle of 
Bunker Hill was finished Farnham went to an 
eminence near that place to aid the Americans in 
bringing away their wounded. This led him to a 
point where he had a better view of the engage- 
ment than those who were actively employed 
behind the ramparts. His first campaign was for 
eight months, after which he returned home ; but 
the letter says that in 1777 he served two short 
campaigns. He was, at one time, stationed at 
Providence, in Rhode Island ; and was afterward 
in the battle of Saratoga. He gave the corre- 
pondent I quote many interesting reminiscences 
of Washington, Putnam, Gates, Burgoj'ne, and 
Benedict Arnold. Upon this traitor his comments 
were very severe. 



TEE SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION. 355 

Another case — tliat of Moses Hale — shows 
us a soldier who was disinterested, unambitious, 
and a pattern of fidelity in the ranks. He enlisted 
as a private, and seemed pleased and content with 
that position. He was one of the leading men in 
Winchendon, Massachusetts, for the nearly sixty 
years of his residence in that town. Only three 
years after his removal thither, in 1773, we find 
him made chairman of a meeting; " to take into 
consideration the distressiner and dan2:eroiis cir- 
cumstances of our public affairs." He is chosen 
" chairman of a committee to consider of griev- 
ances." A vote is passed to choose "a committee 
of correspondence," of which he is one, to unite 
with a similar committee in Boston, and a reso- 
lution is adopted " at all times to join heartily 
with our brethren of this Province for the redress 
of our grievances and the establishment of our 
character, rights, privileges, and liberties." 

When the news came of the battle of Lexington, 
the alarm was spread in Winchendon by the firing 
of guns and the beating of drums. The people 
sprang to arms, and under the lead of Deacon 
Moses Hale, without a commission, a party of the 
people started for the scene of action. After a 
short respite, Abel Wilder, a born hero, was com- 
missioned captain of a company which marched to 
Cambridge, of which we have subsequent evi- 
dence that Moses Hale was a member. This 
company was in the battle of Bunker Hill. " The 
Winchendon men," saj^s the record, " engaged in 



356 EEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

the thick of the fight." Captain Wikler, brave 
soul, writes to his wife the day after the battle, — 
we have his own spelling, — '' Friday night I was 
poorly." His doctor urged him to take medicine ; 
" but I told him," writes the Captain, '' as there 
was a battle expected Satterday I would not take 
it, lest I should be charged of taking it on purpose. 
And according as was expected, a very hot battle 
insued Satterday afternoon. I fired nineteen 
times, and had ftxir chances, and then they was 
too hard for us, and we retreated. The bals flew 
very thick, but through the Divine protection, my 
company was all preserved but one." We learn 
from another source that '• he had a long, slender 
gun, and fired it till it was so stopped up that he 
could not fire it any longer." 

In 1776 Moses Hale, who had been a common 
soldier, was placed by his town on their committee 
of correspondence. March 13, 1777, the town 
voted " to hire men to serve in the war for this 
town in the future." Deacon Moses Hale was on 
a committee authorized to hire money for that 
purpose. Throughout the war he was earnest in 
the cause and foremost in labors for its advance- 
ment. The record he has left is most gratifying. 
"Next to Deacon Wilder," is its testimony, "he 
filled the largest place in public estimation ; and 
after the death of Mr. Wilder, he was in the first 
rank. He filled many offices, and was, several 
years, delegate to the General Court, besides being 
delegate to the State Convention for adopting the 



THE SOLDIEE OF THE EEVOLUTION. 357 

National Constitution. He was deacon of the Con- 
gregational Church for a long term of years pre- 
ceding his decease in 1828." 

Our government rightly opposes a direct union 
of Church and State. But such a union as this, a 
patriotism based on the highest principle, and 
carried out in unambitious service to one's country, 
bears the mark of a character which does as hio-h 
honor to religion as it does to the noble institutions 
of our republic. 

Moses Hale belonged to a ftimily remarkable for 
their longevity. He was born in Boxford, June 5, 
1742; he married Ruth Foster, July 2, 1769. 
They removed to Winchendon, Massachusetts, 
May 8, 1770. Their children were: (1) Eunice; 
(2) Ruth ; (3) Lucy, who was living in 1866, at the 
age of eighty-nine; (4) Moses; (5) Achsa ; (6) 
Artemas, who married Deborah Lincoln of Hing- 
ham in 1815. This couple have since lived in 
Bridgewater, where he died August 3, 1882, at the 
age of ninety-eight years, five months, and two 
days. The great-grandfather of Artemas Hale, 
Joseph Hale of Boxford, Massachusetts, lived to 
the age of ninety years. His great-uncles, Joseph 
and Thomas Hale of Boxford, lived to the ages 
severally of eighty-one and eighty-four years. His 
father, Moses Hale, died at eighty-six, and his 
mother, Ruth (Foster) Hale, at ninety-five years and 
four months. Of his uncles and aunts on his 
father's side, Nathaniel died at seventy-one ; Amos 
at seventy-six; Ruth (Mrs. Curtis) at eighty; David 



358 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

at eighty-one; Jacob at eighty-seven; Lucy (Mrs. 
Keyes) at ninety-three years and seven months ; 
while Judith (Mrs. Towne) attained the remarka- 
ble age of one hundred and six years, five months, 
and two days, having been born on October 14, 
1747, and died at Paris, New York, March 16, 
1854. Of his own brothers and sisters, Moses died 
at sixty-four; Eunice at seventy-four; Ruth (Mrs. 
Payson) at eighty-eight; Achsa (Mrs. Coolidge) at 
ninety-six years, nine months, and twenty-six days ; 
and Lucy at ninety-eight years, five months, and 
eight days. 

Althoiiorh Artemas Hale was a modest man and 
retiring in his habits, he was a true patriot and 
filled various political offices with great success. 
From 1827 to 1832 he was in the Massachusetts 
House of Representatives, and from 1833 to 1834 
was a member of the Senate. In a heated and 
prolonged contest of his district, he was chosen on 
the same day to the Twenty-Ninth Congress and 
the Thirtieth. In 1853 he was a delegate to the 
Massachusetts Constitutional Convention ; and in 
1864 he was a presidential elector on the Lincoln 
and Johnson ticket. 

I speak of him with pleasure and confidence 
from having known him personally, in the prime 
of his life, when his rare intelligence and interest 
in all good works of a public, national, and phil- 
anthropic description were apparent from his con- 
versation and character. 

He was very regular and temperate in his habits, 



THE SOLDIER OF THE REVOLUTION. 359 

abstaining totally from intoxicating drinks and 
tobacco, and, with the exception of his hearing, he 
retained the full possession of his faculties, bodily 
and mental, until near the close of his life ; and on 
his ninety -fifth birthday he gave an address to his 
Masonic lodge, which was said to be one of the best 
ever delivered before a body of that order. 

Such men as Moses Hale and his son Artemas 
Hale not only elevate themselves and their fami- 
lies, but present evidence that— however some men 
may bring and have brought reproach on our 
country by their sordid aims and selfish course ni 
their public relations — there were those in the in- 
fancy of our Union, and have been down to this 
day, in whose sincere, unpretentious temper and 
self-devoted services the country may take a just 
pride. 



CHAPTER XXIL 

THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON: 

WITH PERSONAL RECOLLECTIONS OF MEN ENGAGED IN IT. 

Having from my earliest childhood, and in my 
native place, heard the story of the opening scenes 
of the Revolution from the lips of several who 
took part in it, and known, more or less, many 
others of them, I am unwilling that their share in 
it should be lost to the annals of that day. To 
Lexington and Concord belongs the honor of these 
opening scenes. In all contemporaneous history 
Lexington stands as the place where the first re- 
sistance was made to the King's troops, and Con- 
cord as the place where they met their first repulse 
and began their retreat. Lexington, by her band 
of protomartyrs, led the determined train that 
finally threw off the British yoke. " Too few to 
resist, too brave to flee," their blood was the seed 
of that great freedom-harvest gathered by those 
who came after them. Their service was little, of 
necessity, in a military point of view, but in a 
national and political aspect its importance was 
inestimable. 




AMOS MUZZEY, IN PARKER'S COMPANY, APRIL 19, 1775. 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 361 

The motives of the Colonists from the beo-innino:, 
were high and pure. Their pacific spirit was seen 
up to the last critical and decisive hour, and the 
sight of an invading force. Nothing was done at 
that moment except on the defensive. In view of 
the threatening condition of the country a military 
company had been formed in Lexington under 
Capt. John Parker. It had one hundred and thirty 
names on its roll. My grandfather, Amos Muzzey, 
who was a member of this company, and whose 
name stands also on the roll of five-months' men at 
Ticonderoga in 1776, and that of the three-months' 
campaign at Cambridge in 1778, was apprehensive 
of an approaching conflict. He had seen a few 
men riding on horseback past his house at dusk on 
the evening of the 18th, and as, looking beyond the 
waving grass of that premature season, he saw the 
wind blow their overcoats open, he noticed their 
uniforms and swords underneath. This aroused the 
suspicions of the people, and he, with another man, 
was sent early the next morning to get intelligence 
of any movement below by the British troops. 
He stopped in Arlington, then Menotomy, at a 
tavern called the Black Horse, kept by a Mr. 
Wetherby, where the two Provincial committees, 
of Safety and Supplies, usually met. While there, 
the enemy arrived, and my grandfather narrowly 
escaped being made a prisoner. He found his 
horse let loose and injured, though not disabled. 
At a later hour in the day Mr. Samuel Whittemore 
of Menotomy, then eighty years of age, who 



o 



G2 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



married, as his second wife, my great-grandmother, 
was shot, bayoneted, and left for dead ; but he was 
afterward taken to the above tavern, and finally 
recovered and lived to the ao;e of ninetv-six. 

My grandmother, when the British troops — 
eight lumdred grenadiers and liglit-infantrj^, under 
Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Smith of the Tenth 
British Regiment, and Major John Pitcairn of the 
marines — had passed her house, in the centre of 
Lexington, on their way to Concord, left the 
house, taking her two children (my father, who 
was nine years old that day, and his brother, a boy 
of four) to spend the dread day with a neighbor 
and friend. A foot-weary soldier had fallen behind 
the column, and as the sun was rising he met and 
saluted my grandmother : '■'• Good-morning, madam ; 
the King's troops are paying you an early visit 
this morning." Her reply, in the custom of those 
days, was from Scripture, — in the language of the 
elders of the town of Bethlehem, wdio met Samuel, 
and " trembled at his coining." She said, " Come 
ye peaceably ? " The soldier could not reply as 
the Prophet did, " Peaceably ! " but said with little 
of her reverence, " Ah, madam ! you have carried 
the joke rather too far with his Majesty." 

When the troops returned from Concord they 
entered my grandfather's house, broke a large 
mirror, — a part of the frame of which w^as long 
kept in the family, and is now in Lexington Me- 
morial Hall, — and demolished the heaufet, with. 
its contents of valuable crockery, some of which 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 363 

I remember seeing in my boyhood. My grand- 
father said : " They must have dressed their 
wounded there, for the floor had stripes of blood 
all over it, as if a pig had been stuck and dragged 
around the room." The old gentleman's life was 
prolonged until December 10, 1822, when he 
died at the age of eighty-two, being already past 
man's threescore years and ten when the " mere 
skirmish," as he called the War of 1812, involved 
the country in new hostilities. In the latter con- 
test our State government located a depot of 
military stores at Lexington, within sight of our 
own door; and, as the veteran had so often re- 
hearsed the story of the famous British march to 
Concord thirty-seven years before, it is no mar- 
vel that the narrative made the grandson share 
his grandsire's anxiety for the safety of these new 
deposits. The Regulars, not content with other 
damage, fired at his house, either before or 
after leaving it, several bullets, one of w^hich 
passed through a partition on which I often gazed 
from the bed in my childhood, and two others I 
took from the brick lining to our wall, when the 
house was repaired, forty years after the battle. 
The British, on their retreat, and when reinforced, 
burned three houses, beside a barn and two work- 
shops within a mile of my grandfather's. They 
also set fire to several other houses, and pillaged 
many as they passed on, breaking doors and win- 
dows, destroying furniture, and carrying away 
clothing ; and they took the lives of several per- 



3G4: REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

sons, and in modes hardly less savage than those 
of our own Indians. It is to the honor of our Pro- 
vincials that they committed no acts of barbarity, 
although charged in foreign accounts with all man- 
ner of cruelties, even to cold-blooded murder, and 
mutilating and scalping their victims. 
. The forbearance of our people was illustrated 
in the cool and prudent conduct of Captain Parker. 
Fearing lest some of his men, in their excitement, 
would fire prematurely, and so begin the contest, 
he ordered them not to fire unless they were fired 
upon, — adding, " but if they want a war, let it be- 
gin here." As the little band of sixty stood before 
tenfold their number of disciplined troops, a few of 
them naturally for a moment faltered. Parker or- 
dered everv man to " stand his o-round till he should 
order him to leave it," and added that he would 
" order the first man to be shot down who should 
attempt to leave his post." 

I often heard individuals, who witnessed the 
scenes of that morning, describe them in detail. 
About half-past four o'clock Major Pitcairn, with 
six companies of grenadiers and light-in fin try, 
rode up on the right side of the meeting-house, 
saw Captain Parker's company, which was just 
forming in two ranks, and ordered them to dis- 
perse. This command was repeated ; and, it not 
being obeyed, he fired his pistol and brandished his 
sword. Colonel Smith's force was then about 
twelve rods distant in front of the meeting-house, 
and on the left side of it. Pitcairn passed up the 






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THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 365 

Bedford road, on the right hand, and around to the 
back of the meeting-house, where, by his com- 
mand, after firing over the heads of our men, his 
troops fired a second volley, and killed Jonas 
Parker, Robert Munroe, Isaac Muzzey, — a kinsman 
of mine, — and Jonathan Harrington. Two men, 
Samuel Hadleyand John Brown, fell near the Com- 
mon. Two others were also killed — Caleb Har- 
rington, as he was leavmg the meeting-house, and 
Asahel Porter, an escaped prisoner, near the Com- 
mon. The British wounded nine others, and 
rushed forward to bayonet Parker's men. Jona- 
than Harrington fell in front of his own house on 
the Common. His wife saw him fall and then 
start up, the blood gushing from his breast ; he 
stretched out his hands toward her, and fell again. 
Rising a little he crept across the road ; she ran to 
meet him at the door, but he died at her feet. 
Four of the company went into the meeting-house 
for ammunition. Hearing the discharge of guns, 
one of them, Joshua Simonds, cocked his piece, 
and laid down by an open cask of powder, re- 
solved never to be taken ahve. Jonas Parker was 
a true Roman hero. He had often said. "Let 
others do as they please; I will never run from the 
British." Having loaded his musket he placed his 
hat, and in it his ammunition, on the ground be- 
tween his feet. He was soon wounded, and sunk 
upon his knees ; and in this state discharged his 
gun. While loading it again, and striving to fire 
once more, he was pierced by a bayonet, and 
died as he had said he would. 



366 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

From the little one-storied New England school- 
house, which stood a few yards from the monu- 
ment erected in 1799 on the battle-field, and in 
which I attended school until I left home to pre- 
pare for college, I saw, day after day, the old 
Jonathan Harrington house, and felt many a thrill 
at the sad tale of the hero and martyr who once 
occupied that venerated building. 

After the bloody scene just described, Major 
Pitcairn galloped round to the Concord road, on 
the left of the meeting-house, and joined Coionel 
Smith. The enoratjrement lasted about half an 
hour, when, after giving three huzzas, the column 
marched toward Concord. About the middle of 
the forenoon Captain Parker collected a part of 
his company, and they moved bravely toward 
Concord in pursuit of the British. 

It is said that not less than forty unarmed per- 
sons witnessed the engagement. I knew individ- 
uals, too young to bear arms, who were on the 
Common that day, and who, at a greater or less 
distance of time, gave their accounts of the battle. 
Levi Harrington, then in his fifteenth year, was 
quite near, and testified that the British- fired first. 
Abijah Harrington, who was in the fourteenth year 
of his age at that time, — when, at a later period, it 
was doubted whether our men returned the British 
fire at all, — was accustomed to say, " I was on the 
spot where the Red-coats stood, after the battle that 
day, and saw in one place a large pool of blood." 
He himself lived to the advanced age of ninety- 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 367 

one. His testimony was confirmed by the deposi- 
tions of Elijah Sanderson, who saw blood where 
the column stood when Solomon Brown ^ fired at 
them. Rufus Merriam, who lived until May 7, 
1847, was in his thirteenth year at the time of the 
battle. His family were in my boyhood near 
neighbors to us, and he spoke of standing on the 
doorsteps of the old Buckman house, afterward his 
own home, and seeing the British column coming 
up the road. Some of our men were firing from 
the house, when Mr. Buckman asked them to stop, 
as it led the British to fire back. Certain Loyalists 
then in the house had said : " Oh, they won't fire on 
us, for we are their friends." Mr. Buckman's 
house shows to-day that this was no protection ; 
several bullet-holes are still to be seen there. 

A British officer, who shared in the expedition 
that day, testified that " a man of the Tenth Light- 
infantry was wounded by a Yankee." Another 
testified that " Major Pitcairn's horse was grazed 
by a bullet, and a soldier wounded in the leg." 
Some British prisoners, taken that day. said, " One 
of our soldiers was wounded in the thigh, and 
another received a shot through his hand." 

It will be recollected that through the night of 
April 18, John Hancock, who was a grandson of 
the minister of Lexington by that name, and Sam- 
uel Adams, were at the house of Rev. Mr. Clarke, 
who married a cousin of John Hancock. These 

1 All interesting sketch of Solomon Brown, liy Rev. Horace E. Hayden, 
leached me too late, I regret to say, for use in this work. 



3G8 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

two Patriots had been marked, and were finally 
proscribed by King George, whose first order was 
that " they be sent over to England for trial." The 
second order was to " hang them in Boston." No 
wonder they sought shelter at such a moment 
amon^jr kindred and friends. While liere thev 
were waked about midnight by the renowned Paul 
Revere. Mr. Clarke's house, not far north of the 
Common, was familiar to me in early life. Of Mr. 
Clarke's twelve children there were tw^o of whom 
I have a vivid recollection : Sarah, who died un- 
married, January 28, 1843, aged sixty-nine; and 
Elizabeth, who died December 5, 1843, also unmar- 
ried, aged eighty. They preserved every object in 
their house — the old room which Hancock and 
Adams had occupied, with the table, chairs, and 
cushions, the high wainscoting, hard pine floors, 
and even tlie dilapidated paper — with the utmost 
reverence. They were very kind to us childien, 
and even to the feline species, nine of which I 
once saw together around their good old wide 
fireplace. 

While the two Patriots were here they were 
protected by a guard of eight minute-men, under 
the conmiaud of Sergeant William Munroe. They 
were advised, after the attack on the Common and 
when the British had started toward Concord, to 
flee for safety. At first they retired to a hill south- 
east of Mr. Clarke's, then, and still partly covered 
with wood. While waitinii: there for the British 
cohnnn to pass on toward Concord, the almost in- 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 3C9 

spired Adams — standing on a rock which has been 
pointed out to me by my brother-in-law, General 
Chandler, who in recent days owned the premises — 
uttered, as the sun was a little way up, that im- 
mortal sentence : " What a glorious morning for 
America is this ! " 

I often heard from my grandfather — one of 
whose cousins married Ebenezer Fiske, from whom 
Fiske Hill received its name — the story of the 
encounter at that place, between James Hay- 
ward of Acton and a British soldier. Hay ward 
left his father's house with one pound of pow- 
der and forty balls, followed the British from 
Concord to the foot of Fiske Hill, and, being 
thirsty, stopped at the well, front of the house. A 
British soldier, who was in the house for plunder, 
saw him, stepped to the door and aimed his piece 
at him. " You are a dead man," said one. " And 
so are you," was the reply. Both fired and both 
fell, — the Britisli soldier dead, Hayward mortally 
wounded. The ball which hit him passed through 
his powder-horn, and drove the splinters into his 
body. He lingered eight hours, during which he 
repeatedly expressed his willingness to die in de- 
fending the rights of his country. He was a 
young man of high character, and died at the age 
of twenty-five. I recalled the memorable well 
with new interest, April 19, 1835. It was then, 
when the remains of the martyr soldiers were re- 
moved from the old burying-ground in Lexington, 
and placed under the monument, that Edward 

24 



370 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Everett, the orator of the day, exhibited the pow- 
der-horn worn by Hayward in that deadly encoun- 
ter. I saw the hole made in it by the bullet 
which killed him, and was glad to learn that this 
venerated relic was bequeathed by Mr. Everett to 
the town of Acton, the home of Hayward, and is 
now deposited in that place. 

It will be remembered that a reinforcement of 
British troops, — a brigade consisting of three regi- 
ments of infantry and a detachment of marines, to 
the number of about twelve hundred, with two 
fieldpieces, under Lord Percy — came out to Lexing- 
ton in the after part of the day, and met the force 
of Colonel Smith about half a mile below the vil- 
lage. One cannon was placed on an eminence near 
the Munroe tavern, the other on a high point near 
the fork of the main and Woburn roads. On this 
latter spot, it is probable, the shot was fired which 
struck the meeting-house, that stood about twenty 
feet north of that which was erected afterward, in 
1794. It passed through or near the pulpit, and 
fell at the door of the house belonii-ino: to one of 
Captain Parker's company, back of the green 
where the enemy were met. This act of desecra- 
tion shocked all who ever saw its effects. The 
Rev. Mr. Morrill of Wilmington, who preached the 
annual sermon, April 19, 1780, says of it: "Let 
the mark of British tyranny, made in the house 
of God, remain till time itself shall consume the 
fabric, and it moulders into dust." I recollect see- 
ing this cannon-ball in my boyhood, and shared in 
the feeling of horror at its tale of impiety. 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 371 

I have spoken of Captain Parker's pursuit of 
the British on their march to Concord. One of 
his company, Jedediah Munroe, had been wounded 
in the morning, but the heroic man was not 
stopped by the loss of blood ; he pushed forward 
with the company, but died in the afternoon. 
Another, Francis Brown, sergeant of the com- 
pany, encountered the enemy in the morning, 
joined his comrades on the march to Concord, 
and — meeting the British in their flight, at Lin- 
coln — received a very severe wound. A ball 
entered his cheek, passed under his ear, and lodged 
in the back part of his neck, where it remained 
until the next year. But still the brave man 
commanded the company in 1776, and survived 
nearly twenty-five years. He died April 21, 
1800, aged sixty- two years. 

The Provincials were charged with firing only 
behind houses, trees, and stone fences. This may 
have been true ; it would have been a mark of 
wisdom and proper self-protection. When results 
were summed up it appeared that while the British 
had lost, in killed and wounded, two hundred and 
seventy-three men, the American loss was only 
ninety-three. 

Of those Avho bore arms on that eventful morn- 
ing a number survived to my boyhood, and a few 
to my early manhood. I recall several of those 
honored men. There was the venerated Dr. Jo- 
seph Fiske, who told in my hearing many a tear- 
drawing story of his sufferings in the old Conti- 



372 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 

nental army. He was in the sixth campaign, in 
1776, at Dorchester, at the capture of Burgoyne. 
the surrender of Yorktown, and in many other 
battles, and was surgeon during almost the whole 
Revolution. He was one of the original members 
of the Society of Cincinnati, and had a certificate, 
preserved by the family, signed by Washington as 
president, and General Knox as secretary. He, 
like the others, carried with him something of the 
moral power that pervaded the great cause they so 
nobly defended. He died September 25, 1837, 
aged eighty-five years. 

I remember well the large form of the veteran 
Colonel William Munroe, the orderly-sergeant of 
Captain Parker's companj^, a man of grave and 
determined aspect. His oldest daughter married 
my uncle, the boy I have spoken of, less than four 
years old on the day of the battle. Often, as I sat 
by the side of Colonel Munroe, I imagined his feel- 
ings when he drew up that little band on the Com- 
mon. He was a man of few words, but they were 
wise and weighty. Well educated for his time, he 
was a thorough master as well as reader of Shake- 
speare. And his moral character stood equally 
high. No profane sentence ever sullied his hps, 
any more than those of his commander. Captain 
Parker, sorely tempted though he was in the peril 
and excitement of that hour. What a contrast 
did the language of those men present to that of 
Major Pitcairn in that scene, " Disperse, ye reb- 
els ! " repeated, and with an oath each time. We 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTOJ^. 373 

are impressed with the purity of the men in 
general on our side, compared with the rank 
vices tending always to cluster round the camp, 
and grown to fearful proportions at that period 
among the hireling army of General Gage. Colo- 
nel Munroe — he was a colonel in the militia — 
was honored in town, being nine years one of its 
selectmen, and two years representative in the 
legislature. He was a lieutenant in the army at 
the capture of Burgoyne in 1777, and took part 
in suppressing the Shays rebellion. He kept the 
public house known as the Munroe tavern. Here 
the British stopped on their retreat, and murdered 
John Raymond, an inoffensive man, as he was 
leaving the house ; here Washington dined in 
1789, when he visited the battle-ground. Colonel 
Munroe died October 30, 1827, aged eighty-five 
years. 

Next in my memory is Daniel Harrington, who 
was clerk of Captain Parker's company. His 
manly form and long white locks impressed me 
deeply. He was a blacksmith in former days, and 
in the shop which his son occupied in my boyhood 
was kept the six-pound cannon-ball fired through 
the meetinsf-house. Here also was found the 
tongue of the bell which sounded the alarm on the 
morning of the battle. This valuable relic was 
obtained from Mr. Harrington by a nephew of 
mine. Colonel John L. Chandler, about forty-five 
years ago. It was exhibited at the centennial cel- 
ebration in 1875, and afterward presented by 



374 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Colonel Chandler to the town of Lexington, to be 
preserved as a sacred deposit in their Memorial 
Hall. 

Daniel Harrington was a prominent citizen, and 
called to many posts of honor and trust ; he was a 
selectman in 1779, 1785, 1786. He married Anna 
Munroe, daughter of Ensign Robert Munroe, who 
stood bravely at his post on the battle-field, April 
19, 1775, and fell, one of the first martyrs of the 
Revolution ; and who had previously been a soldier 
in the French War, and bore the standard at the 
taking of Louisburg, in 1758 ; he served also in 
17G2. A wife — the inheritor, we cannot doubt, 
of such valor and patriotism as his — must have 
inspired with heroism the husband, and subject 
of our notice. He died September 27, 1818, 
aged seventy-nine years. 

I pass next to William Tidd. He was a lieuten- 
ant in Captain Parker's company, and gave, in an 
affidavit, 1824, a graphic account of the firing of 
the Regulars. He adds : " I then retreated up the 
north road, and was pursued by a British officer on 
horseback, calling out to me with an oath, ' Stop, 
or 3^ou are a dead man.' I feared I could not es- 
cape him unless I left the road. I therefore sprang 
over a pair of bars and made a stand, and dis- 
charged my gun at him ; upon w liich he immedi- 
ately retreated to the main body." 

When a boy I for one season day by day, on 
my way to school, passed his house, — a vener- 
able mansion of the ancient, rectangular style. He 



o-n 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON". Sib 

was short of stature, had a compact frame and an 
erect gait, and was active even in old age. In addi- 
tion to his services, April 19, 1775, he was in the 
seventh campaign, September, 1776, to White 
Plains, contributed to the eleventh campaign, 
1777, to Bennington, and enlisted and served some 
time in the Continental line. He died October 25, 
1826, at ninety-one, having filled various offices in 
town ; he was four years an assessor — then a very 
high and responsible position — and was one of the 
selectmen in the Revolution. Mr. Tidd belono-ed 
to the Old School, who kept their seats in their 
pews after the service, and bowed to the minister 
as he passed out first. Instances have been heard 
of since in which the boys rushed by the preacher, 
and showed the power of the elbow. Our respected 
friend, I think on account of his bald head, wore a 
red cap, which attracted us youths sometimes more 
than the minister in the pulpit. He varied this 
practice, I was told, by wearing a white caj) when 
at home. His wife was a daughter of the heroic 
Ensign Robert Munroe. Her strongly marked 
character made her a fit companion of her husband, 
sympathizing alike in his distinguished military 
and civil services. She lived to May 14, 1839, 
dying at the advanced age of ninety-seven years. 
We come now to Isaac Hastings, who was in 
Captain Parker's command. He came of a mili- 
tary family ; a brother, and their father were with 
him in the engagement. He was a man of great 
energy of character, remarkably gifted and fluent 



376 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

in conversation. His life was, at some of its 
stages, one of great perils, hardships and thrilling 
adventures, which he would relate with graphic 
spirit and power. He once gave in my hearing 
the details of a shipwreck and approaching star- 
vation, when a tallow candle was " one of the 
sweetest morsels he ever tasted." We find him at 
Cambridge as a soldier. May 6-10, and at Bunker 
Hill, June 17, 1775. He was a prominent man in 
town affairs, and in 1808 was chosen deacon of the 
church. Throughout my boyhood I remember 
well his position in the meeting-house, sitting un- 
der the pulpit, with his associate, as was the cus- 
tom, on the opposite sides of the deacon's seat. 
He lived on the ancient homestead, afterward in 
the possession of his most respected daughter, Mrs. 
Gary. His death, at the ripe age of seventy-six, 
occurred July 2, 1831. 

His father and brother were both men of mark, 
but neither of military age at the time of the bat- 
tle. The father, Samuel Hastings, was past the 
military age, but. so patriotic and brave that he 
stood in the ranks that day. He w\as with the 
army July 3, the same year, when Washington 
took command of it. He was distinguished in 
town affairs, and often called to places of honor 
and trust. He died February 8, 1820, at the 
great age of ninety-nine. The brother, Samuel 
Hastings Jr., was less than eighteen on the day 
of the battle, but the young hero appeared with 
the company on the Common. Soon after, he 




MINUTE MAN, 1775. 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 377 

Yolanteered in the service, and was one of General 
Lee's life-guard ; be was taken prisoner with him 
at Long Island. At the time of his capture a Brit- 
ish officer struck him on the neck with a sword. 
He used to say : '' My cue saved my life, as it broke 
the force of the blow, though my wound was 
severe." He was afterward paroled, but never ex- 
chan^'-ed. He was at one time major of the Lex- 
ington artillery. Although he resided on the 
borders of Lincoln, I was familiar with his house, 
partly from the circumstance that his eldest daugh- 
ter was at one time a tenant of my father and 
lived across the road from our home. I saw him 
often : he was a man with strongly marked features 
and a stout vigorous frame ; he died January 8, 
1834, having nearly reached the age of seventy- 
seven. His family testified their honor and love 
for him by erecting, in Lexington Cemetery, a 
beautiful monument to his memory, with the hon- 
orable inscription, " A Revolutionary Soldier." 

It should be noticed that while, owing partly to 
the scarcity of muskets, only some sixty men 
Btood at any one moment in the ranks of Captain 
Parker's company, — about one third of whom were 
either killed or wounded on or near the spot, or 
elsewhere, during the day, — of two published 
rolls of the company one contains one hundred and 
thirteen names, the other one hundred and twenty. 
And there is evidence that there were not less 
than one hundred and thirty in all, including the 
" alarm men," the youth and the superannuated, 



378 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

most of whom were in arms that morning. We 
have in print depositions dated April 25, 1775, 
taken by order of the Provincial Congress, of four- 
teen persons, who say: " We were ordered by Cap- 
tain John Parker (who commanded us) " &c. &c. 
Of these fourteen, a part must have been under 
military age. The names of five are not on the 
printed rolls, but should be preserved in history. 
They are Samuel Hastings, Nathaniel Parkhurst 
(whom I cannot identify, but think he was a 
brother of John Parkhurst, who was in the battle) 
John Munroe 3d, Jonas Parker 2d, and Micah 
Hagar,who appears in the list of the ''first cam- 
paign of eight months, 1775," and again with the 
" Men who enlisted in Lexington for three years or 
during the w^ar, and served in the Continental 
line." Still another roll of one hundred and eigh- 
teen names is found in the " Boston News-letter," 
June 3, 1826, which varies from the two others, 
containing five names more than one of them, two 
less than the other, and that of Stephen Munroe, 
not found on either. 

We have also the depositions of several specta- 
tors of the battle. Benjamin Tidd of Lexington 
and Joseph Abbot of Lincoln were upon the Com- 
mon that morning on horseback. William Draper 
of Colrain stood within three or four rods of the 
Regulars, and saw them fire. Thomas Fessenden 
saw Parker's men eighteen or twenty rods from 
the meeting-house. A British officer rode up 
within six rods of the company, and cried out 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 379 

" Disperse ! " A second officer then fired his 
pistol. John Bateman of the Fifty-second Regi- 
ment, a British soldier, probahlj a prisoner, testified 
at Lincoln, April 23, 1775. '' There was," to use his 
words, '• a small party of men gathered. When 
our troops marched by I heard the word of com- 
mand given to the troops to fire, and some of said 
troops did fire, and I saw one of said small party 
lie dead on the ground nigh said meeting-house." 
This may well offset the account given of the 
battle by his Excellency Governor Gage, in a 
letter to Governor Trumbull of Connecticut, — 
which makes one almost despair of the veracity 
of history : — 

I ordered six companies of light-infantry to take two 
hridixes in Concord. When two miles from Lexins^ton 
they heard five hundred men were in arms to oppose 
the King's troops. . . . Major Pitcairn saw about two 
hundred armed men. . . . He ordered his troops not to 
fire, but surround and disarm them. . . . The people 
fired behind a wall, wounded a man of the Tenth In- 
fantry, and liit tlie Major's horse in two places. . . . 
They also fired from a meeting-house. . . . Then the 
light-infantry, without order or regularity, killed several 
of the country-people, but were silenced as soon as the 
authority of the officers could make them ! 

I knew well Jonathan Loring, as a neighbor, his 
dwellin":-house beinjj; some third of a mile only 
from my fiither's. AVhen it was known that sev- 
eral British officers had gone up toward Concord 
on the evening of the 18th, Loring, with two 



o 



80 EEMIXISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 



others, volunteered to follow them and watch their 
movements. He was taken prisoner and detained 
several hours, until, on the return of the British 
otHcers, he was set at liberty on or near Lexington 
Common. He bore arms in the battle, and he was 
a brave man, as his face indicated, although quite 
lame and bowed, as I recall him. His couracre 
and patriotism were tested by his marching to 
Cambridge with a detachment, May 6, and also 
taking part in the battle of Bunker Hill. He was 
in Cambridge again in the campaign of 1776. 

His family took a prominent part on the 19th of 
April. The church plate was kept at the house of 
his father, Deacon Joseph Loring ; L3^dia, a sister 
of Jonathan, took this plate on that day and con- 
cealed it under some brush near the house, to pre- 
vent its being carried oft" by the British soldiers. 
The house was pillaged and burnt by the British 
on their return from Concord. Deacon Lorino; 
made out a full statement of his loss at that 
time : — 

A large mansion-house, and a barn 70 ft. 
long, and a corn-house, all burnt .... X350-0-0 

Household goods and furniture, viz : eight 
good feather beds and bedding ; a large quan- 
tity of pewter and brass ware ; three cases of 
drawers ; two mahogany tables, with tlie furni- 
ture of eiofht rooms 230-0-0 

All the wearing apparel of my family, con- 
sisting of nine persons 60-0-0 

All my husbandry tools and utensils, with 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 381 

a cider mill and press, with five tons of hay, 

and two calves 72-0-0 

About two hundred rods of stone wall 
thrown down 5-0-0 

Specie . . . . ' 3-0-0 

£720-0-0 

N. B. — The above mentioned buildings were the first 
that were destroyed in the town, and near the ground 
where the brigade commanded by Lord Perc}' met the 
detachment retreating under Lieutenant-Colonel Smith. 
It does not appear that any of our militia were in or 
near these buildings ; neither could they in any way op- 
pose or retard the British troops in their operations ; 
therefore the destruction must be considered as brutal, 

barbarous, and wanton. 

Joseph Loring. 

I have spoken of Lydia Loring, the energetic 
sister of our subject. His daughter Polly was a 
frequent visitor at my father's. She dispelled my 
belief, as a boy, in the perfect honesty of every- 
body living, by saying one day in my hearing, " 
Mrs. M., there is so much deception in the world." 
Mr. Loring died in Mason, New Hampshire, Sep- 
tember 20, 1830, aged eighty-one years. 

The committee appointed by the Provincial 
Congress, May 12, 1775, to estimate the losses by 
the British destruction of property, April 19, at 
Concord, Lexington, and Cambridge, report the 
whole loss at Concord, £274. 16s. 7d., less than one 
half of Mr. Loring's at Lexington ; at Cambridge, 
£1,202. 8s. 7d.; while that of Lexington was £1,761. 



382 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Is. 15d. The details of the losses at Lexington, em- 
bracing no less than twenty-four names of those 
whose houses were invaded and ravaged, are, in 
some cases, quite touching. Lydia Winship, be- 
lieved to have been a widows testified that her 
household furniture and wearing apparel were de- 
stroyed, with her loss in money, to the amount of 
£66. 13s. 4d. — over $330, a large sum in that dny; 
while Lydia Mulliken, a widow, with her son, lost 
house and shop by fire, with furniture, wearing ap- 
parel, and clocks and tools of her son, $2,155, in 
real and personal property. Joshua Bond lost his 
house, shop, and other property, to the amount of 
$946. The loss of William Munroe w\as very 
heavy, being in household furniture, clothing, and 
goods in a retail shop, over $1000. 

Benjamin Wellington comes before my memory 
when he was at an advanced age, being thirty-two 
at the time of the battle, I remember his vi<i:orous 
and well-knit frame; and that, though of moderate 
stature, he bore a commanding presence. He 
had the distinction of being the first prisoner 
taken within the town that day. He was cap- 
tured early in the morning, at the foot of what 
is now called Mount Independence, in East Lex- 
ington. The British officer who took him asked : 
" AVhat are you going to do with that firelock ? 
Where are you going now ? " He replied, " I am 
going home." " I thought within myself," he 
used to say, " ' but not until I have been upon the 
Common.' " The officer took his firelock from 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 383 

him, and soon released him and passed on. Mr. 
Wellington then left the main road, waded through 
swamps, and reached the Common in time to 
join Captain Parker's company before the en- 
gagement, having secured a gun which he doubt- 
less used to good purpose that day. He was with 
a detachment of the company at Cambridge the 
ensuing May 6th; in the seventh campaign, 1776, 
at White Plains ; and was a sergeant, having with 
him eight men from Lexington, at the taking of 
Burgoyne in 1777. He was honored in town, 
holding the office of selectman in 1785 and 1792. 
He died September 14, 1812, in the seventieth 
year of his age. 

Let us next notice Daniel Mason. I premise his 
record by saying he had a brother Joseph in the 
battle, of whom I have a slight remembrance. He 
had a fine form, a gentlemanly appearance, and 
was a distinguished teacher in the town. He died 
October 3, 1814, aged seventy-eight years. His 
estate gave the name to a place still called Ma- 
son's Hollow. The house, nearly opposite the old 
Munroe Tavern, is still standing and occupied. 
Daniel Mason had little of the soldier in his bear- 
ing, as I recollect him, although he did his duty in 
the little band under Captain Parker. He wore 
long white locks, and had a grave and apostolic 
countenance, reminding me of pictures of John 
Wesley. But he could sometimes make a shrewd 
remark with a very sober fiice. One day, speak- 
ing to my father of generosity, in my hearing, he 



384 KEmNISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

said, " I never feel so generous as when I have n't 
a smgle cent in my pocket." Hapless man ! he 
was very destitute himself at the last. I was once 
the bearer of a little gift to him, I think the day 
before Thanksgiving, and the old man's face 
lighted up as if he had received a fortune. 

Then there was Joseph Estabrook, one of the 
youngest on the immortal roll of that company ; 
for he was then but a month beyond the age of 
seventeen. He was of a military fi^mil3^ his 
father being afterward, in 1776, in the campaign 
of Ticonderoga. Mr. Estabrook graduated at 
Harvard College in 1782, and was ordained at 
Athol, November 21, 1787. He was a fine look- 
ing man, and very agreeable in manners and con- 
versation. In my youth I heard him preach, 
which he did most acceptably. He lived long, 
active to the last, dying April 30, 1831, in the 
forty-third year of his ministry, and at the age of 
seventy-four. 

I recall here Joseph Underwood. March 7, 1825, 
Mr. Underwood testified on oath before my father, 
Avho was a justice of the peace, as follows : — 

On the evening of April 18, 1775, about forty of the 
militia company assembled at Buckman's tavern, near 
the meeting-house, for the purpose of consulting what 
measures should be adopted. . . . The first certain in- 
formation we had of the approach of the British troops 
was given by Thaddeus Bowman, between four and five 
o'clock on the morning of the 19th, when Captain 
Parker's company were summoned by the beat of the 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 385 

drum, and the line formed. When the Regulars had 
arrived within about one hundred rods of our line, they 
charged their pieces and then mo\ ed toward us at a 
quick step. Some of our men, on seeing tliera, proposed 
to quit the field. [And no marvel, fifty or sixty undis- 
ciplined men in presence of six hundred regular troops.] 
Captain Parker gave orders for every man to stand his 
gi'ound, and said he would order the first man shot that 
offered to leave his post. I stood very near Captain 
Parker when the Regulars came up, and am confident he 
did not order his men to disperse till the British troops 
had fired upon us the second time. 

Mr. Underwood was a man of modest mien, 
quiet in manner and movement, yet of that firm 
air and bearing which was needed at the perilous 
hour of battle. He was a true Independent. I 
see him in the old meeting-house. He walks to his 
pew in the broad aisle, ^dth an old Roman air. 
When, in a midsummer Sabbath afternoon, the 
preacher is lengthening his discourse on and on, 
Mr. Underwood takes his coat off, and stands up 
for a change and relief of posture ; and here and 
there some good old farmer is seen to do likewise. 
He joined a voluntary detachment to Cambridge, 
May 10, 1775 ; and again, June 17, we find him 
at Bunker Hill. He lived until February 27, 1829, 
dying at the age of eighty. We may not forget 
that he married a woman who doubtless sustained 
and animated his courage. His wife, named De- 
liverance, was a sister of the patriot hero. Captain 
John Parker. In commending the bravery of our 
own sex I think we sometimes overlook and fail 

25 



386 KEMINISCENCES AXD MEMORIALS. 

to do justice to the noble wives, mothers, and sis- 
ters who more than seconded, who often prompted, 
the heroic deeds of those days. Some wise and 
true man should seek out and give their due to 
the as yet unrecognized and unrewarded women 
of the Revolution. 

Something should be said of Amos Locke, wdio 
resided in the north part of Lexington, and whose 
house was familiar to me in boyhood. He was a 
man of large frame, and above the ordinary height. 
He was of a martial air and spirit, and had been 
braced up to the day of blood in our town by hav- 
ing served during the French War in 1762. Like 
his kinsman Benjamin Locke — who reached the 
age of eighty-five, and who was also in the battle 
of April 19 — he had extraordinary vitality; he 
lived until July 27, 1828, dying at the age of 
eighty-seven years. 

On the list of Captain Parker's company, and as 
a corporal, stands the name of Joel Viles. In my 
early days he was quite lame and infirm ; but still 
his florid countenance and commandino; fio-ure 
gave assurance of the energy of his character. 
His patriotism, generosity, and personal self-sacri- 
fice were attested by the fact that at three several 
times after the battle — first on May 10 at Cam- 
bridge, then on June 17, and finally for two months 
in 1776 — he bore arms for his country. 

A word should be said of John Parkhurst, wdio 
married Elizabeth Bowers of Billerica, a sister, I 
think, of my paternal grandmother. My grand' 




DIAGRAM OF LEXINGTON ROADS. 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 387 

fatlier and lie, both of them in Captain Parker's 
company, were bound together ahke by the ties of 
home and country, and their remains rest in the 
same tomb in Lexington churchyard. " They were 
lovely in their lives and were not divided" in 
their burial-place. Although Mr. Parkhurst died 
in my early days, his face was quite famihar. 
Among other things the red cap of the veteran 
at church made a strong impression. His house 
was on the line of march of the British troops 
toward Concord, a charming location, solid, simple, 
and firm, like its master. He was in the cam- 
paign at White Plains, and was honored as a 
selectman of the town of Lexington. He died 
July 2, 1812, aged seventy-seven years. 

Joshua Reed I knew well, as his son Charles 
married one of my sisters. He was a man of portly 
bearing, tall, well developed, and muscular. His 
face indicated intelligence; his conversation was 
wise, accompanied by a manner gentle no less than 
dignified. His whole character gave assurance of 
a man of mark. His lineage was rather remarka- 
ble. The father, named also Joshua, was a member 
with him of Captain Parker's company, and a sis- 
ter of the latter, Betsey Reed, married Ebenezer 
Muzzey, a brother of the martyr Isaac Muzzey. 
Mr. Reed died September 8, 1826, aged eighty 

years. 

Ebenezer Simonds, one of Captain Parker's 
company, and in the battle when but little over 
seventeen years old, was of a family distinguished 



388 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

as large lan(] holders in Lexington, and who held 
many public offices in town. They were of re- 
markable longevity. His father died at eighty- 
three ; Joseph, ensign of Parker's company, died 
at seventy-three ; Joshua, so brave in the battle, 
died in his seventieth year ; his son of tlie same 
name, at eighty-eight; and the subject of this 
notice died August 23, 1845, at eighty-seven. He 
lived, up to my early manhood, on the old home- 
stead occupied by his grandfather. His clear eye, 
compressed mouth, firmly set chin, indeed his 
whole face and his every movement, expressed 
jj-reat force of character. I think of him as erect 
and stalwart, as belonging to that grand old race 
of which it was said, " Five of you shall chase an 
hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten 
thousand to flight." To the last his eye was not 
dimmed, nor his natural force abated. He was 
sorely afflicted by losing nine of his ten children, 
and several under trying circumstances. I was 
impressed, in attending the funeral of one of them 
in my boyhood, by his fortitude, mingled with a 
father's tenderness. 

It is fitting to close this record of personal re- 
collections w^ith a tribute to him who was the last 
survivor of those engaged in the battle of Lexing- 
ton, Jonathan Harrington. For many years a 
cotemporary with him, I knew him well. He was 
tall, with a full eye, a firm mouth, and — in general 
— a marked and strong face. He was a cabinet- 
maker by trade, and curiosity for such workman- 




LEXINGTON MONUMENT. 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. 



389 



ship nicacle his shop a favorite resort to us boys. 
Though only sixteen years of age at the time of 
the battle, he was a fifer in Captain Parker's com- 
pany. No marvel he began life a Patriot, and con- 
tinued one to the last, for his own father was in 
the eno-ao-ement, beside another of his name, also 
a kinsmaii. On the roll of Captain Parker's com- 
pany we find no less than eleven by the name_ ot 
Harrino-ton, a noble testimony to the gallant spnnt 
of the Iimily. This number was exceeded only by 
that of the Munroes, of whom there are fourteen. 
Then come the Smiths, who sustained the family 
reputation by a list of ten. We have seven of the 
Reeds, and four of the Tidds. A proud heredity, 
all this, of patriotism, self-sacrifice, and bravery. 
It is due, without disparagementof others, to speak 
of the noble service of the Munroes m the old 
French War. Sergeant William Munroe served m 
1754-55, Lieutenant Edmund Munroe m 17o7, 
1758, and 1761, Jonas Munroe in 1755 and 1/ 57, 
James Munroe in 1757, 1758, and 1759, Ensign 
Robert Munroe in 1758 and 1762, David Munroe 
in 1757 and 1759. To these we must add lliad- 
deus, John, Abraham, Stephen, and Josiah Eleven 
of one name and family in the French War and 
fourteen in that of the Revolution, Irom a little 
town (at the opening of the latter) of only seven 
bundled inhabitants! Greece and Rome ha.e 
not outshone this as a military record 

Preparatory to the Centennial celebration n 
1875, when the descendants ot Ensign Robeit 



390 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

Miinroe joined in presenting a standard to the 
company of Lexington Minute Men, the name 
of a little bo}^, six months old, Robert Munroe 
Harrington, born September 10, 1874, was placed 
at the close of the list. What a roll to enter, and 
what a lineage for that unconscious child, the heir 
of two names, both illustrious, — one in two great 
wars, and the other in the opening of that Revolu- 
tion which did so much in laying the foundations 
of civil and religious liberty on this continent and 
eventually through the wide world ! 

Jonathan Harrington died March 27, 1854, hav- 
ing lived to the great age of ninety-five years, 
eight months, and eighteen days. He would re- 
late the leading incidents of the day of blood with 
the deepest interest. His mother, a pattern mother, 
roused him early that day with the cry: "Jona- 
than, get up ; the Regulars are coming, and some- 
thing must be done." He did get up, hastened to 
the Common, and was Avith the company when the 
British drew near. And " somethino; was done." 
At the age of ninety-one he attended the seventy- 
fifth anniversary of April 19 at Concord. Being 
asked for a sentiment, he gave, out of his full pa- 
triotic heart, the following, written wath his own 
hand: "The 19th of April, 1775: all who re- 
member that day will support the Constitution of 
the United States." 

His funeral — of which the Hon. Charles Hud- 
son, in his History of Lexington, gives so graphic, 
an account — was attended by a large concourse; 



THE BATTLE OF LEXINGTON. * 301 

and it was an imposing spectacle, — thousands of 
all ages and conditions gathered hy one common 
sentiment of respect and affection. It is worthy 
of note that, of sixteen survivors of the Lexinirton 
battle spoken of above, the average age at their 
deaths was eighty-two years and six months. A 
remarkable coincidence at one point — showing 
that brave men often outlive their great sufferings 
in war — is that, of the sixteen survivors of the 
War of 1812, who met in the year 1877, at the 
end of sixty-five years, the average age was pre- 
cisely the same, eighty-two years and six months. 

One thino; should be here said in reij-ard to the 
motives of the Patriots of the Revolution. From 
their first to their last act they were, as a whole, 
free from the temper of malice iind revenge. 
Stirred at some moments to indignation, they were 
still calm and forbearing. Rev. Mr. Adams of 
Lunenburg, in the annual sermon at Lexington, 
April 19, 1783, after the close of the war, says 
with magnanimity, although he and others could 
not forget the transactions of the past : " The laws 
of Christianity oblige us to forgive." 

In speaking of the character of the men before 
lis, we should bear in mind that they were, to a 
large extent, cultivators of the soil which they 
protected. The occupation of the Patriots at 
Lexington is indicated by the circumstance that 
their home was originally called Cambridge 
Farms. As I look over the roll of Captain Par- 
ker's company I find a large proportion of 



392' REMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

them were formers. Several fomily estates of 
to-day have descended from men of that corps. 
My grandfather was one of the third generation 
who had owned and occiij^ied the same estate; and 
it gives me pleasure to add that it is now occupied 
by a representative of the sixth generation of the 
family. It was the taunt of the British aristocracy 
that the}^ could easily put down " the peasantry of 
America." '' Five regiments of Regulars could," 
it was boasted, " easily march across the conti- 
nent." ^ To us it may be a just source of pride 
that our country gained its independence largely 
through the toils and sacrifices of the owners and 
tillers of the soil. " In defiance/' says Edward 
Everett, " of the whole exerted powers of the 
British Empire, the yeomanry of the country rose 
as a man, and set their lives on this dear stake of 
liberty." Without detracting in the least from 
the noble services, in those trying days, of men 

1 Lord Percy, after his return from Lexincrton, seems to have changed 
his mind in regard to the intelligence and ability of the Americans. In 
a letter written the next day, April 20, 1775, he says, in connection with 
the history of the repulse the day before of the force of Major Pitcairn, 
and the reinforcement of " grenadiers and light infantrj' " under Colonel 
Smith : " the insurrection turns out not so despicable as it is perhaps im- 
agined at home. ... I never believed they [the rebels] would have 
had the perseverance I found in them yesterday. . . . They have men 
among them who know very well what the}' are about." 

The "Columbian Centinel " of Boston, under date September 3, 1817, 
gives the following obituary : " In England, Prince Hugh Percy, Duke 
and Earl of Northumberland, Baron Percy &c. and eight other titles, 
aged seventy-six. He was general of the army. . . . The deceased Duke, 
at the commencement of the American Revolution, commanded the Fifth 
British regiment, and the reinforcements sent out to the troops under 
Colonel Smith, on the 19th of April, 1775." 



THE BATTLE OF LEXIXGTON". 39 



o 



in other vocations, we may never forg-et that it 
was by the strong- arm and wise counsels of the 
great agriculturist of Mount Vernon, and the 
united labors of men who fought under him for 
the soil they owned, that the foundations of our 
civil and relii^ious liberties were laid. The Ro- 
man Empire fell mainly because her citizens for- 
sook the culture of the land by their own hands. 
That occupation is the great rock of a nation's vir- 
tue and stability. If we wish to uphold this coun- 
try through all ages we must, like our fathers, 
secure homes for the people. So long as our 
citizens are living largely on their own acres, able 
and ready to defend them against every aggressive 
or disorganizing power and influence, the Union 
will be safe. We need commerce, the mechanic 
arts, manufactures, and every branch of honest 
industry for oiu' complete outward prosperity; but 
all honor to agriculture, honor to those brave 
farmers who " poured out their generous blood 
before they knew whether it would fertilize the 
land of freedom or of bondage." From that blood- 
offerino: comes a voice : — 



D 



Stern and awful are its tones, 
As the patriot-martyr groans ; 
But, the death-pulse beating high, 
Rapture blends with agony. 

And let us, looking at the glorious results of 
the storm and struo-fi;le of that dawn hour of the 

(Do 

Revolution, dwell on the mid-day sun, which, shin- 
ing out from these our skies, lights up the wide 



394 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



world of aspirants for liberty. Joy for April ] 9, 
1775, when began forming that patriot procession 
led by the immortal Parker and his brave associ- 
ates. Heart to heart and hand to hand, let ns 
pledge ourselves — and may we be followed by our 
latest posterity — to honor with our lips and our 
lives tlie memory of those star-bright names. 




THE ENGLISH RIGHT OF SEARCH. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

MEN OF THE SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES 
IN THE REVOLUTION. 

The chapter immediately preceding this gives 
a narrative of the opening scenes of the Revolu- 
tionary War. The events it describes are con- 
fined to Lexington, Concord, Boston, and its 
vicinity. The first act of the great drama was 
performed by New England. It is fitting that 
this book should close by a distinct reference to 
that portion of the country by which the war was 
more especially conducted to its completion. We 
ought in justice to speak of the great debt due 
for these services to the States lying out of New 
England. We may never forget the noble work 
which they did in carrying the contest forward to 
its success. While Massachusetts and her asso- 
ciate States of the North initiated the labors and 
perils of the war, it was left largely to the South- 
era and Middle States to consummate their task. 
/^Who was the man chosen to take command of 
the American army ? Not one born and bred 
under our Northern skies: not a Prescott or a 
Ward of Massachusetts, not a Putnam of Connecti- 



396 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

cut, not a Greene of Rhode Mand, a Stark of New 
Hampshire, or an Ethan Allen of Vermont. It 
was to Virginia the wide-spread colonies turned 
their asking eyes for this momentous service. It 
was her soil that gave us our Washington, without 
whom — so far as human judgment can conceive 
— this incoherent mass of colonies would never 
have come together, and clung hand to hand, as 
they did, — would never have resolved at last to 
break the yoke of British domination, and never 
have achieved, declared, and established their free- 
dom and independence. 

The New Ensrland deleo;ates in Cono-ress were 
prompt in discerning the military merits of Wash- 
iny^ton, as seen when he commanded the Vir(>:inian 
forces against the French, — a man marked, as he 
was, by his skill, bravery and persistence as an 
officer. Prominent also by the good judgment 
and sound sense he had exhibited on the com- 
mittees of the Provincial Legislature and the Con- 
tinental Congress, he was preferred even by the 
New England army above General Ward, a com- 
mander of their own. It is to be noticed also 
that, while the chief was taken from Virginia, and 
the second in command from Massachusetts, the 
third was Charles Lee, then a citizen of Virginia. 
To that State the whole country looked for lead- 
ing spirits. 

And, looking back through the whole struggle, 
we see this choice justified. At every stage of 
the war, Washington — amid all rivalries, jeal- 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 397 

ousies, envy among officers, distrust of some called 
servants of the peoiole — steadily rose, and demon- 
strated his forecast and his rare gifts for military 
adjustments, combinations, and a comprehensive 
administration. He manifested, too, an unflinch- 
ing courage. Systematic, punctual, careful in the 
details needful for success in active operations, he 
had also a persistence in waiting for the right 
moment of advance and a power to endure sus- 
pense, which are capital qualities in a good gen- 
eral. He could bear the weightiest responsibilities, 
and meet the charges that spring from popular 
impatience and misrepresentation. With an ever- 
changing army, without discipline and proper re- 
spect for his authority, amid local prejudices, with 
troops miserably clad and armed, and sometimes 
destitute of food for the day, for eight long years 
he held his position ; and out of clouds and thick 
darkness a bright sun at last rose, and he reached 
the end of his anxieties, toils, and sufferings in a 
glorious victory^/ 

Often we see the South earnest and adroit in 
movements that sustain the feeble cause. At one 
moment a few bold men sail from Charleston, 
S. C, to East Florida, and surprise and capture, 
near St. Augustine, a vessel containing fifteen 
thousand pounds of British powder. At another, 
a like valuable cargo is seized by the inhabitants 
of Georgia on its arrival from England ; and seve- 
ral ships, taking military stores to aid the foe at 
Boston, are intercepted upon the ocean. Lord 



398 EEMIXISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 



Dunmore orders and effects the burnino; of Nor- 
folk in Virginia, — so jElagitious an act that Wash- 
ington can restrain his indignation no longer, but 
hopes this act will '•' unite the whole country in 
one indissoluble bond against a nation wdiich seems 
to be lost to every sense of virtue and those feel- 
ings which distinguish a civilized jdco^dIc from the 
most barbarous savages." 

The course of Virginia in the w^ar shows its 
broad spirit, a patriotism which rose above sec- 
tional interests and prejudices, and made common 
cause with the North in resisting Britioh aggres- 
sions, and by word and deed asserting and main- 
taining: the rio-ht of the American colonies to 
freedom and independence. The oldest of the 
chartered colonies, sIkl played her part firmly and 
bravely to the end. What Washington did quietly 
and by his actions, too modest for speech, others 
of his State seconded and supported by their 
voices and their pens^ 

It is interesting to observe the occasions and 
influences which led the colonies into ultimate 
harmony. Virginia stands shoulder to shoulder 
with Massachusetts, and step by step several States 
join hands on the same side. The opposition in 
some colonies is strong ; but by degrees New Jer- 
sey, Maryland, South Carolina, and North Carolina 
unite their votes for independence. Led by South- 
ern sway, the States of the North are united, and 
the Middle States give in their adhesion at periods 
more or less late, until finally thirteen colonies re- 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 3QU 

solve that " these united colonies are, and of rio-ht 
ought to be, free and independent States, that 
the}^ are absolved from all allegiance to the Brit- 
ish Crown, and that all political connection be- 
tween them and the State of Great Britain is, and 
ought to be, totally dissolved." 

Although the military operations of the war 
began in New England, it was in effect closed be- 
yond her precinct by the union of troops from the 
Southern and Middle States with those of the 
North. In the decisive battle of the storming of 
Yorktown were seen men from the strong line of 
Pennsylvania ; New Jersey was there with one of 
her tried brigades; Maryland with the same com- 
plement ; New York added a battalion ; and brave 
little Delaware sent her two companies. 

So early as 1768, William Livingston, editor of 
the " American Whig " of New York and the sub- 
sequent governor of New Jersey, wrote : " The 
day dawns in which the foundation of this mighty 
empire is to be laid, by the establishment of a 
regular American constitution." With a wise and 
generous outlook to the future, he adds : " As we 
conduct, so will it fare with us and our children." 
New Jersey stood firmly by the side of Virginia ; 
and her provincial Congress directed, by a vote 
passed Aug. 5, 1775, that fifty-four companies, of 
sixty-four men each, amounting to three thousand 
four hundred and fifty-six men in all, should be 
organized. 

While we of the North reverence the Old State 



400 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMOKIALS. 

House in Boston, — and she lias just reinstated it 
as it was in its pristine day, when John Adams 
spoke in tones of thrilhng patriotism from its old- 
time portico, — and while we are straining every 
nerve to save the Old South, where Warren bearded 
the British lion in his den, we should also vener- 
ate Carpenter's Hall in Philadelphia, and bring to 
memory young Washington, with his noble ofier, 
made within its walls, to march to Boston with a 
thousand men for its relief; and Independence 
Hall in the same honored city, from which the 
brave Declaration of July 4, 1776, was issued. 

I am anxious, in all fairness, to do ample jus- 
tice, in this connection, to inj^vidaal men of the 
Southern and Middle States. It was Virginia that 
produced Patrick Henry, — that man who scented 
the outbreak with Great Britain afar off, and so early 
as the month of March, 1775, uttered in Richmond 
— his tall person '• rising erect and his head held 
proudly aloft " as he spoke — the stirring words : 
" Our chains are for£»:ed ! their clankino- is heard 
on the plains of Boston ; " and closed his thrilHng 
appeal with the immortal words : " I know not 
what course others may take ; but as for me, 
give me liberty, or give me death ! " It was Vir- 
ginia that raised up Thomas Jefferson, author of 
the Declaration of Independence, who was first 
Secretar}^ of State in Washington's cabinet, founder 
of the old Ptepublican as opposed to the Federalist 
party ; to whom many of our present most pop- 
ular and truly democratic principles must be 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 401 

traced ; and who was for eight years President 
of the United States. From Virginia came Rich- 
ard Henry Lee, who was born January 20, 1732, 
find died June 19, 1794. It was he who, on June 7, 
1776, made the first bold proposition in Congress, 
seconded by John Adams of Massachusetts, " That 
the united colonies are, and of right ought to be, 
free and independent States, and that all political 
connection between them and the State of Great 
Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." In 
this body his labors were incessant ; while a mem- 
ber of it he served on nearly a hundred committees. 
In his own State and in Congress he showed him- 
self a devoted patriot and an eloquent orator. He 
was a personal friend of Washington, and in pri- 
vate life manifested unbounded kindness and chari- 
ty. He shed lustre on the name of a family who 
did much — both in the field and in civil, political, 
and social circles — to originate and establish 
American institutions. Of the same lineage was 
the brave Colonel Henry Lee, who was born Janu- 
ary 29, 1756, and died March 25, 1818. He was 
honored by the commander-in-chief and by a vote 
of Congress for his brilliant military career in 
the war. And here was born Thomas Nelson, the 
heroic commander of Virginia's militia at the 
siege of Yorktown, and afterward made gover- 
nor by his own State. 

We should advert next to South Carolina, so 
fruitful in her military gifts to the cause of the 
Revolution. To her we owe John Laurens, aide 

26 



402 EEMIXISCENCES AXD MEilOKIALS. 

to Washington, engaged in the attack on the 
British lines at Savannah, m the defence of Charies- 
ton, and afterward conspicuous at the siege of 
Yorivtown, where he led the forlorn hope, and 
captured one of the two redoubts which were 
stormed. He was killed in a skirmish by a party 
of British, and when the news of his death reached 
his father — who had been President of the Conti- 
nental Congress, and for that offence was impris- 
oned in the Tower of London, and but just re- 
leased — he said magnanimously, "I thank God I 
had a son who dared to die for his country." We 
record here the name of John Rutledg-e, — a dele- 
gate to the Continental Congress, governor of 
South Carolina, and for two years in the South- 
ern army of the Revolution. This man, so brave 
in military service, was equally conspicuous in 
civil affairs. He was a member of the convention 
wdiich framed the Federal Constitution, and after- 
ward an associate judge of the United States 
Supreme Court. 

Francis Marion, born in Georgetown, S. C, in 
1732, died near Eutaw, February, 28, 1 795. He was 
one of the purest patriots of the Revolution. Made 
a captain in the service so early as June 21, 1775, 
he continued in the army until the near prospect 
of peace. He was one of the most adroit and suc- 
cessful of generals. He disbanded his brigade De- 
cember 14, 1782, with a tender farewell to his 
feithful followers; and like so many others, South 
as well as North, he retired to his farm almost in 
poverty. 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 403 

It would be unjust to Thomas Sumter not to 
place his name in the catalogue of those who up- 
held the war in South Carolina. True, he was 
born (1734) in Virginia; but he removed early 
to South Carolina, and lived there until his death, 
which occurred June 1, 1832, when he was ninety- 
eight years of age, and the last surviving general 
of the Revolution. A volunteer soldier in the 
French and Indian War, he was present at the 
memorable defeat of Braddock. In March, 1776, 
we find him lieutenant-colonel of the Second Regi- 
ment of South Carolina riflemen. After the cap- 
ture of Charleston by the British, in 1780, he 
takes refuge in the swamp of the Santee. Ris- 
ing to the rank of brigadier-general, he becomes 
foremost amons; the active and influential leaders 
of the South. Follow him in his gallant career. 
This same year he defeats a British detachment 
on the Catawba ; and, although surprised and 
routed at Fishing Creek, August 18, he collects 
another corps, and, November 12, defeats the bold 
Colonel Wemyss, who had attacked his camp near 
Broad River. After a few days General Tarleton, 
a British officer, attempts to surprise him while 
encamped on the Tiger River, but is driven back 
with a severe loss of men. We find Sumter, 
though wounded in this attack, soon again in the 
field. In March of the next year, 1781, he raises 
three new regiments, and, co-operating with the 
brave Marion, Pickens, and others, he harasses 
the enemy along their posts scattered amid val- 



404 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

leys and swamjDS. For his heroic services Con- 
gress, in January, 1781, passed a vote of thanks 
to him and his men. When the American gov- 
ernment was estabhshed, General Sumter, from 
1789 to 1793, was chosen a representative in Con- 
gress ; from 1801 to 1809 he was United States 
senator; and in 1809 he was appointed minister to 
Brazil, wdiere he continued for two years. In 
1811, at the advanced age of seventy-seven years, 
he closed his long term of honorable and eventful 
services. 

We cannot fail to notice, among the heroes of 
South Carolina, Isaac Huger. He was of a family 
illustrious for their services in the Revolution, 
being one of five brothers active in the w^ar. Of 
wealthy parentage, the sons all completed their 
education in Europe. Isaac, at the age of eigh- 
teen, joins Colonel Middleton in his bold expedition 
against the Cherokee Indians in 1760. He is 
made lieutenant-colonel of the First South Caro- 
lina Regiment, June 17, 1775, and soon colonel 
of the Fifth Regiment ; he takes a prominent part 
in the operations connected with the siege of 
Savannah in 1778; is made brigadier-general, Jan- 
uary 19, 1779 ; commands a force of cavalry at the 
siege of Charleston in 1780; and closes his gallant 
services at the two points of Guilford Court-house, 
March 15, 1781, and Hobkirk's Hill, April 25, 
of the same year, commanding on the right wing 
of a brigade from brave old Virginia. From this 
family came a nephew of the preceding, Francis 




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PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 405 

Kinlock Huger, who was born in 1764, and died 
at Charleston, S. C, February, 1855, at the great 
age of ninety-one years. It was he who, with the 
generous Bolhnan, made the attempt to rescue 
Lafayette from the dungeon of Ohnutz. Huger, 
for this offence, was placed eight months in close 
confinement in an Austrian prison. He came 
home to serve his country in the War of 1812, and 
was honored with a seat in both branches of the 
legislature of his own State. 

We ought never to lose sight of our obligations 
for the Revolutionary services of the Middle States. 
New Jersey in 1776 became a great battle-ground 
on which the fortunes of the Revolution were 
once at stake. Washington was there with his 
army, and, amid perils and obstacles of fearful 
proportions, held his position with an almost su- 
perhuman firmness, wisdom, skill, and persistency. 
His own army was disunited, — many threatening 
to quit the ranks, some tempted by Loyalists to de- 
sert his connnand and join the forces of an enemy 
proud, strong, and defiant. Forced at length to 
cross the Delaware and pass from New Jersey into 
Pennsylvania, it was only a timely reinforcement 
of troops from that State, of which Philadelphia 
generously furnished fifteen hundred, that saved 
him from a disastrous defeat. This reinforcement 
enabled him to cross the Delaware, and on the 
field of Princeton win a victory which breathed 
hope into a desponding people, and gave a new 
lustre to the name of our immortal chief. For 



406 REMINISCENCES AXD MEMOKIALS. 

this result the country was largely indebted to one 
of the Pennsylvanian commanders by whose de- 
termined energy those troops had been raised in 
an adjoining State. 

It is not easy to estimate our obligations to New 
Jersey for military leaders in the Revolution. 
Give their due weight, in this regard, to her noble 
services on the fields of Princeton, Monmouth, 
and elsewhere. Consider the streno-th of her 
patriotism, her resistance to the disloj^al within 
her own borders, who constantly opposed her spi- 
rit, and — by enticing men to desert our American 
army, or by enlisting or tempting others to enlist in 
the British army — would baffle her best efforts in 
the cause of freedom and independence. Compute 
also her direct contributions to the Patriot army 
in the form both of money and men. In that day 
of small things, out of a population of about one 
hundred thousand, she raised for the war nearly 
twenty thousand men, including almost every 
male capable of bearing arms. Add to all this 
the wise and steadfast counsels of New Jersey in 
her Provincial Congress, her early and ready co- 
operation with the Continental Congress, and 
the blending of her voice and her vote in the 
great united resolve for the Declaration of Inde- 
pendence, and you will accord to her a larger part 
of her sometimes unappreciated dues. 

What shall we say of the claims of Pennsyl- 
vania ? To omit all special notice of them would 
be gross injustice. In Chester County, Pennsyl- 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTUERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 407 

vania, was born, January 1. 1745, Anthony myne. 
He had martial blood in his veins ; his grandfather 
was in the fomous battle of the Boyne, and his 
father was in several engagements with the Indians. 
As a young man he was in the Pennsylvania con- 
vention and in its legislature. When but thirty 
years old, in September, 1775, he raised a regiment 
of volunteers, was commissioned as colonel, and 
ioined General Sullivan in Canada early in 17 ,b. 
Prominent in the battle of Three Rivers, he was in 
command of the fortresses of Ticonderoga and 
Mount Independence. A brigadier-general in May 
1777, he was in the army of Washington in New 
Jersey Fearless and persistent, at the battle ot 
Brandywine we see him all day opposing the right 
wino- of Howe, and only at sunset does he retreat. 
At Germantown he leads the attack on the enemy. 
Durino- the winter he, lion-like, makes a raid within 
the British lines and captures cattle, horses and 
forao-e. His skilful movements at Monmouth are 
commended by Washington in his account of that 
battle. The next year he surprises a.rd cap ures 
the strong garrison of Stony Point »" «- f ;J-"^ 
and is wounded in the engagement, for which 
services he receives the thanks of Congress and a 
.old medal. He is ordered to join the army at 
The South, and at Jamestown, Virginia, by a gal- 
lant, dauntless, and prompt attack he saves tl^ 
forcLs of Lafayette from defeat. He closes lus 
brilliant career by aiding in the capture of Corn- 
wallis, soon after which he is assigned to a com- 



408 REMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

mand in Georgia, puts to flight large bodies of 
Indians on their way to reinforce the British, and 
at length drives the whole enemy from that State. 
After a respite on his farm, he is appointed major- 
general and commander-in-chief in the war against 
the Indians at the West, and gains a victory over 
the determined Miamis in August, 1794. Ap- 
pointed sole commissioner to treat with the Indians 
of the Northwest, he takes possession of all the 
British forts in that region, and while on his way 
home from that victorious movement, he dies in 
armor. 

Among the men distinguished, not only in the 
Revolution, but both in his previous and subse- 
quent career in our civil history, is Thomas Mifflin. 
Born in Philadelphia, 1744, he died in Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania, January 20, 1800. Of a family 
marked by their culture, wealth, and social position, 
he was called into public life in 1772 as a repre- 
sentative from Philadelphia in the Colonial As- 
sembly, and in 1774 was a delegate to the first 
Continental Congress. The all-observing eye of 
Washington saw his military capacities and at- 
tractive qualities, and selected him to accompany 
himself, as his first aide-de-camp, to Cambridge, 
in June 1775, with the rank of colonel. He was 
soon promoted to the office of adjutant-general, 
and in the spring of 1776 he was commissioned as 
a brigadier-general. In the battle of Long Island 
he distinguished himself, and was active during 
the latter part of 1776 in raising large reinforce- 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 409 

ments in Pennsylvania for the army of Wasliintr- 
ton. For his zeal and efficiency in the service he 
was raised to the rank of major-general in 1777. 

In 1783 General Mifflin had the honor of receiv- 
ing the resignation of Washington as commander- 
in-chief of the army. The same year he was 
elected to Congress, and at the close of that year 
became its president. A great favorite in his own 
State, in 1785 he was chosen speaker of the Penn- 
sylvania legislature. In 1787 he was elected a 
member of the convention which formed the Fed- 
eral Constitution. While Washington was presi- 
dent of the Society of the Cincinnati, Thomas 
Mifflin had the honor of being its vice-president. 
He succeeded Franklin as president of the supreme 
executive council of Pennsylvania in October, 
1788. He was chosen governor of Pennsylvania 
in 1790, and by successive re-elections held that 
office until a short time before his death, 

We cannot sum up our military obligations to 
Pennsylvania better than by a sketch of the career 
of the undaunted and resolute Peter John Gabriel 
Muhlenberg. Born October 1, 1746, he died near 
Philadelphia, October 1, 1807. He was ordained 
to the ministry in England, and preached at Wood- 
stock, Virginia. While in the church, and after 
delivering the last sermon he ever preached, — 
which closed with these patriotic and brave words, 
" There is a time for all things, a time to preach 
and a time to fight, and now is the time to 
fight," — he stripped off his gown, put on a uni- 



410 EEMIKISCEXCES AND MEMORIALS. 

form, read his commission as colonel, and began 
the formation of a regiment among his parish- 
ioners. He was made a brigadier-general in 1777, 
and a major-general at the close of the Revo- 
lution. 

General Muhlenberg crowned these services by 
filling several important civil offices. He was 
vice-president of the Commonwealth of Pennsyl- 
vania in 1785, a member of Congress from 1789 
to 1791, from 1793 to 1795, and from 1799 to 1801. 
That year he was elected United States Senator, 
but resigned the next, and was appointed super- 
visor of the revenue for tlie district of Pennsyl- 
vania ; from 1803 until his death he was collector 
of the port of Philadelphia. 

We do not forget all we owe to Maryland, for 
the services of her men at Yorktown, — to the com- 
manders of her regiments and battalions, the brave 
General Mordecai Gist, and, foremost of all, to 
Tench Tilghman, the brave colonel, favorite aide 
of Washington, selected by him to bear tidings of 
the surrender of Cornwallis to Congress. 

Let us give due credit to Georgia, if for none 
other of her many offerings, yet for the gallant 
deeds and sacrifices of her General James H. Screv- 
ner, who fell at the hard-fought battle of Sunbury. 
From this same Sunbury it was that the patriot and 
philanthropist, Lyman Hall, was sent in the begin- 
ning of the Revolution, May 13, 1775, to represent 
St. John's Parisli — of which Sunbury was a part — 
in the colony of Georgia in the General Congress 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 411 

of the colonies gathered at that early day. He 
went from a district which had in it the blood of 
the venerated Puritans. This grand patriot car- 
ried from little Sunbury the precious gift to the 
suffering republicans of the Massachusetts colony, 
of one hundred and sixty barrels of rice and £50 
sterling ! And out of the same St. John's Parish, 
ajid from that illustrious little town of Sunbury, 
went two men, Lyman Hall and Button Guinnett, 
to place their names on the immortal Declaration 
of Independence. 

And when we reflect that all the while Georgia 
was not only beset by a foreign enemy, but by 
disloyal men from her own ranks, and by " preda- 
tory incursions of men out of other disaffected 
regions, — to the great loss and disquietude of por- 
tions of our Province," as the sufferers modestly 
record, — we must say : Well done brave, patient, 
persistent Georgia ; great should be your commen- 
dation now and forever. 

How shall we represent the debt of the Revolu- 
tion to that pivotal colony and original Middle 
State, New York? It is a sketch only of her 
claims and merits that we can here give. From 
this mother of heroes and statesmen came the 
Livingstons. Philip Livingston, a signer of the 
Declaration of Independence, was born in Albany, 
New York, January 15, 1716, and died June 12, 
1778. He was a member of the first Continental 
Congress and the second, was in the New York 
Provincial ConoTess, and at the time of his death a 



412 EEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

delegate to the Continental Congress, then sitting 
in New York. Brockholst Livingston, a soldier and 
jurist, son of the preceding, was born November 25, 
1757, and died March 18, 1823. He was aide-de- 
camp of General Schuyler in 1776, and attended 
him in the army of the North ; was in the suite of 
General Arnold with the rank of major ; was at the 
surrender of Burgoyne, and promoted to the rank 
of colonel. In 1802 he w\as appointed judge of the 
Supreme Court of New York ; and in November, 
1828, was raised to the bench of the United States 
Supreme Court. Robert R. Livingston, born in 
New York City, November 27, 1746, died Febru- 
ary 26, 1813. A member of the Second Continen- 
tal Congress, he was on the committee of five who 
drafted the Declaration of Independence. He was 
a member of Congress in 1780 ; was the first 
Chancellor of State, and in that office until 1801. 
He had the honor of administerino^ the oath of 
office to Washinoi:ton on his first assumins^ the 
duties of President of the United States, April 30, 
1789. 

From New York went forth James Clinton, 
brother of Vice-president George Clinton, who, at 
the battle of Yorktown, as major-general, com- 
manded the New York, New Jersey, and Rhode 
Island troops. New York gave to the Revolution 
Alexander Hamilton, whose illustrious and patriotic 
virtues shone forth from the nineteenth year of his 
age, in 1776, when he sought and obtained a com- 
mission as captain of an artillery company in the 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 413 

State of New York. He soon attracted the notice 
of Washington by his labors in the construction of 
earthworks at New York, by his impulsive energy 
at the battle of White Plains, and by his valiant 
services during the battles of Trenton and Prince- 
ton. For these he was placed as aide-de-camp on 
the staff of the commander-in-chief. He took an 
active part in the battles of Brandywine and Ger- 
man town. He was with the army at the dreary 
camp of Valley Forge, and united with Lafayette, 
Greene, and Wayne at the battle of Monmouth, 
June 28, 1778; and after other valuable services, 
he commanded a New York battalion at the battle 
of Yorktown, and under Lafayette led in the at- 
tack and capture of a British outwork at that siege. 
To these early military exploits we should add his 
immortal work (together with that of Jay — a 
New York man — and Madison) on " The Federal- 
ist;" his being selected by President Washington in 
1789 as the first secretary of the treasury ; and his 
rare ability in founding a wise and judicious sys- 
tem for manaofino; the financial affixirsof our infant 
republic. All bonor to Hamilton that he immedi- 
ately succeeded Washington as president of the 
Society of the Cincinnati, and retained that posi- 
tion until — a victim to misguided views — he met 
his death by a duel July 11, 1804, at the prime 
age of forty-seven years. 

In New York, Washington spent large portions 
of his military life during the Revolution. It was 
to her borders that he took the little American 



414 KEMINISCENCES AND MEMORIALS. 

army, after expelling the British foe from Boston, 
March 17, 1770. It was on her soil that Ethan 
Allen — when asked at Ticonderoga, May 10, 1775, 
by ^ British officer, by whose authority he de- 
manded the surrender of that fort — uttered the 
startling announcement : '^ In the name of Jehovah 
and the Continental Congress." It was there the 
treason of Arnold was consummated ; there, at 
Newburgh, April 19, 1783, that Washington issued 
a proclamation of the cessation of hostilities be- 
tween the American and British armies ; there, 
May 13, 1783, — as the officers of our army were 
contemplating their near and final separation, in 
order to keep alive perpetually, in themselves and 
through their posterity, their long-cemented and 
tender friendships, — that they instituted the order 
of the Society of the Cincinnati. On that spot 
they received the exhilarating news that a treaty of 
peace and amity between Great Britain and the 
United States of America had been si2:ned in Paris ; 
and New York has the honor of being the one of all 
the original States destined for that event, — the 
act of sundering the bonds which bound the 
great heart of the commander-in-chief to every offi- 
cer and every soldier, down to the humblest in the 
ranks, personally to himself. It was at Newburgh, 
November 2, 1783, that he promulgated his Fare- 
well Address to that brave band of comrades, some 
of whom for eight long years had stood side by 
side with him in what to others had been theii- 
death struggle. And " on that sad day/' wrote a 



PATRIOTS OF SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES. 415 

witness of the scene, " how many hearts were 



wrung." 



From the capital of this State, November 25, 
1783, the once proud British army finally, after 
years of dominant possession, went forth forever ; 
and Washington entered its limits, master of his 
around, with none to molest or disturb him. 

It is proposed to celebrate, on the 19th of April 
of the coming year, the centenary of Washington's 
proclamation of the cessation of hostilities between 
Great Britain and this country. The people, one 
and all, may well feel the pertinence and the ur- 
gency of the patriotic call. If, as we know, on that 
day, guns were fired by the little remnant of the 
array at headquarters, aroused by cannon from Fort 
Putnam at West Point, and " the hills were lighted 
by fires kindled by the rejoicing people," we ought, 
in this day of fifty millions of a prospering popula- 
tion, to repair to the old house, once the home of 
Washington, and still standing, and recall the sac- 
rifices of that nature's nobleman, and think of 
that hour when the dissatisfied army around him, 
in their poverty, were threatening to march to the 
capital and demand justice of Congress. See the 
worn and wearied hero as he rises to read his patri- 
otic appeal to those men. He pauses before he pro- 
ceeds, to adjust his glasses, and utters the touching 
words : " These eyes, my friends, have grown dim, 
and these locks white in the service, yet I never 
doubted the justice of my country." Happy for 
us if, in OLU' brighter days, we can catch some- 



416 



REMINISCENCES AND MEMOEIALS. 



thins: of his noble imselfishness, his unwaveiinf): 
sense of duty. Happy for us, Avhether present 
or absent on that closing day of these centennial 
observances, if we try to do something that shall 
quicken in our generation, — and leave, as our best 
legacy to those who come after us — a love of coun- 
try, sincere and deep, nourished in their childhood, 
pure and active in their manliest years, and stead- 
fast to the end. 




DIAGRAM OF CONCORD VILLAGE. 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



Abbot, John, 317. 

Joseph, 378. 
Adams family, 8, 9, 54, 140, 173. 

Abij^jail, 04. 

Charles Francis, 52, 66. 

Elizabeth, 72. 

Henry, 65, 70. 

John,' 13, 45-52, 54, 59-64, 66-70, 
75, 76, 89, 93, 132, 189, 237, 282, 
286, 400, 401. 

John Quincv, 9, 48. 52-55, 57, 58, 
62, 64, 66, '07, 80, 93, 94, 216, 283. 

Mrs. John, 62, 85. 

Rev. Mr., 391. 

Samuel, 13, 30, 68-72. 75, 76, 162, 
189, 282, 310, 307, 308. 
Aikin, Miss, 175, 177. 
Aldrich, Jonathan, 296, 298. 
Alexander, Sarah, 260. 
Alfred the Great, 3. 
Allen, Ethan, 396, 414. 
Allston, Washini^ton, 305. 
Allvne, jMary, 25. 

Samuel, 20. 
Ames, Fishe-, 30, 93. 
Andre, 199. 

Andros, Gov. Edmund, 284. 
Armstead, Col. Georije, 248. 
Arnold, Benedict, 193, 211, 244, 354, 

412, 414. 
Aubury, a British writer, 198. 



B. 



Bacon, Mercy, 23. 
Bailey, Ebenezer, 96. 
Bainbridfce, Commodore, 256. 
Balcom, Joseph, 207. 
Bancroft, Captain, 195. 

George, 266. 
Barbour, .John N., 296. 
Barclay, Commodore, 202, 264, 265, 267. 
Barrow, Isaac, 163. 



Batchelder. Samuel, 191. 
Bateman, John, 379. 
Baurv familv, 218. 

Francis,' 218. 

Frederic, 218. 

Louis. 218. 

Rev. Dr. A. L., 219. 
Baylies, Hodijah, 34. 
Beal, Israel, 108, 112, 113. 
Beattie, Amelia L., 242. 
Belcher, Governor. 24. 
Bemis's Hein;hts, 108. 
Benton, Thomas H.. 281, 290. 
Bernard, Governor, 135. 
Biajelow, Abijah, 305. 

Colonel, '130. 
Billinirs, William, 23. 
Bingham, Jerusha, 146. 
Blakton, William, 77. 
Bliss, George, 34. 
Bollman. 405. 
Bond, 222. 

Joshua, 382. 
Bourbon family, 10. 
Boutelle, Caleb, 307. 

Charles Otis, 307. 

Enoch, 300. 

James Thacher, 307. 

Lvdia, 305. 

Rachel, 305. 

Timothy, 105, 106, 300-302, 305. 

Timothy. Jr.. 305. 
Bowditch, Ur. Nathaniel, 311. 
Bowdoin, Governor, 109, 301. 
Bowers, Elizabeth, 386. 

Hannah. 292. 

Josiah, 292. 
Bowman, Samuel, 207. 

Thaddeus, 384. 
Braddock, General, 403. 
Bremer, Frederika, 338. 
Brewster, 9, 75. 
Brooks, Abbv, 66. 

Charles," T., 296. 

John, 200-208, 220, 277, 282, 313, 
320. 



27 



418 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



Brooks, Peter C, 66. 

Preston S., 224. 
Brown fiiniily, 138, 141. 

Captain, -44. 

Dorotliv, 138. 

E(lwani,.Jr.,296. 

P^lizabeth, 115. 

Francis, 138, 139, 141, 371. 

James, 140. 

John, 138, 365. 

Jolin (martyr), 346. 

Sergeant, 140. 

Solomon, 367. 
Browne!!, Tliomas, 266. 
Buclvnian, Marv, 140. 

Joiin, 140, 367, 384. 
Biickminster, Rev. Joseph Stevens. 305. 
Burgovne, Gen., 112, 133, 136, 191, 192, 
198,'209, 244, 257, 354, 372, 373, 412. 
Burke, Edmund, 63. 
Burn, Tiiaddeus, 78. 
Burr, Aaron, 31. 
Buss, Ensign John, 301. 



Cabot, George, 34, 93. 

John, 119. 

Lvdia D., 119. 

Lydia (Dodge), 119. 
Cfesar, Julius, 3. 
<"alhoun. Jolin C, 281, 290. 
<'a!vin, John, 163. 
Carver, Joiin, 9. 
Gary, ]Mrs., 376. 

Chanilieriain, Henrv M., 296, 298. 
Chandler, Col. Johii L., 373, 374. 

Gen. Samuel, 369. 
Channing, William, 171. 

William Kllerv. 1.56, 157, 163, 169- 
177, 179-18.^, 229. 

William H., 2:j6. 

Charlemagne, 3. 

Chastellux, Marquis do, 326. 

Chatham, Earl of. 63, 163. 

Chauncey, Commodore, 261, 262. 

Cheverus, Bishop, 30. 

Church, Benjamin, 190 191, 284. 

Cicero. 2-38. 

Cincinnati, Society of the, 15, 16, 183- 
242. ' » ' 

Cincinnatus, 187. 

Clark familv, 78. 140, 141, .368. 

Rev. j\lr., 128, .367, 368. 
Clay, Henry, 281, 283, 290. 
Clinton, George, 412. 

Gen. James, 412. 
Cobb, Gen. David, 240, 241. 

Lois, 231. 

Mayor S. C, 96, 241, 242. 
Cockburn, Admiral, 24(i. 
Cogswell, William, 339. 



Coggswell, Joseph Green, 3r7. 

Colb}^ Lot, 292. 

Conway, 193. 

Corbiiie. Margaret, 197. 

Cornwallis, General, 109,111, 196, 209, 

210, 241, .328, 330, 331, 334, 410. 
Cranch family, 60, 61. 

.Tudge. 60. 
Crane's Artillerv, 229, 231, 278. 
Cromwell, Oliver, 20. 
Croswell, Doctor, 204. 

Susan C, 2ii3. 
Cunningham, Ruth, 44. 
Custis, G. W. P., 321. 



D. 



Dana, Chief Justice Francis, 220. 

Francis, 58. 

Lydi;i, 220. 

Lvdia (Trowbridge), 220. 

R'ichard, 220. 
Dandriilgo, Martha, 195. 
Dane, Nathan, 34. 223. 
Danforth, .Samuel, 74. 
Davis. Admiral Charles Henrv, 231, 
232. 

Daniel, 231. 

Mrs. C. H., 231. 
Day, John Q., 296. 

Dearborn, Gen. Henry, 243-245, 256, 
283. 

Henry A. S , 2.55. 
Decatur, C'ouimod'ire, 268. 
Degrand. P. P. F., 54, 55. 
De Grasse, Count, 283, 3.34. 
De Kalb, Baron, 331. 
Demosthenes, 238. 
Dennie, Joseph, 93. 
Dexter, Samuel, 31, 93. 
Dickinson. .John, 46. 
Donnison, Willi im, 70, 74. 
Downes. Harriet, 134. 

Lvdia, 134. 
Drake, 46. 
Draper, Moses, 222. 

William, 378. 
Dryden, John, 43. 
Dudley, Governor, 102. 
Dudley Observatory, 213. 
Dunham, Daniel. 24. 
Dunmore, Lord, 397. 
Dummer, Shubael, 125. 
Dnnont, Admiral, 232. 
D'Ynigo, Chevalier, 274. 



E. 

Kliot, Apostle, 2-'i6. 
Eliot professorship, 223. 
Ellerv, Lucy, 171. 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



419 



Ellerv, William, 156-160, 162-165,171, 

172, 177. 
Elliot, Kev. Andrew, 78. 
Emerson, Edward Bliss, 346. 
Marv, 3:39. 

Kalpti Waldo, 337-317. 
William, 338, 340. 
Estabrook, Kev. Joseph, 384. 
Eustis. Benjamin, 226. 

Gov. William, 35, 22.J-227, 277, 
282, 313. 
Everett, Edward, 17, 37, 91, 128, 238, 
281, 312, 313, 334, 346, 370,- 392. 



Fairbanks, 31. 
Fairfield, 79. 

Farnham, Ralph, 353, 354. 
Farwell, Levi, 296. 

William, 296. 
Fenwick, Bishop, 36. 
Fessenden, E. S., 136. 

Thomas, 378. 
Fichte, 56. 
Fish, Hamilton. 239, 240. 

Nicholas, 239. 
Fiske, Ebenezer, 369. 

Dr. .Joseph, 209, 211, 371. 
Flint, Mrs., 81. 

Kev. .lames, D.D., 317. 
FoUen, Rev. Charles, LL.D, 175, 296- 

298. 
Foster, Daniel, 211. 

Kiith, 3.57. 
Fowlis, barony of, 1-30. 
Fox, Charles James, 63. 
Francis, Kev. Dr., 345. 
Franklin, Benjamin, 92, 282, 310, 3-32, 

409. 
Frederick the Great, 204. 
Freeman, Constant, 231. 

Edward, 25. 

Lois, 231. 

Rev. James, D.D., 231. 
French, Rev. Jonathan, 82. 
Frost, Rev. Barzillai, 296. 



G. 



Gaffe, General, 70, 19.5, 373, 379, 413. 
Gardner's Regiment, 222. 
Garfield, President James A., 18, 106. 
G rrison, Wm. Llovd, 175, 297, 299. 
Gates, General, 108. 136, 193, 204, 354. 
George in.. 63, 368. 
(Terrv, Elbridge. 31. 
Gibbs, :\rajor, 320. 
Gist, Gen. JNIordecai, 410. 
Goodwin. Anne. 307. 
General, 307. 



Gore, Christopher. 92. 
Gould, Benj. Ajithorp, 212. 

Cai)t. Benjamin, 211. 

Hannah F., 212. 

Prof. B.A., 212. 
Grant, President U. S., 240. 
Graves, Hon. J. W., 237. 
Grav, 116. 

"Jvlward, 28. 

F^dwin, 305. 

Harrison, 28. 

John, 26. 
Greaton's Regiment, 222, 229. 
Greene, General, 162, 261, 312, 332. 
Gridley, 225, 229. 

Jeremiah, 43. 
Griffith, Master, 29. 
Grinneli, Susan B., 133. 
Guiunett, Button, 411. 

H. 

Hadlev, Samuel, 365. 
Hagar, Micah, 378. 
Hale family, 357. 

Amos, 357. 

Artemas, 357-359. 

Jacob, 358. 

Joseph, 357. 

Moses, 355, 356. 

Nathaniel, 357. 

Thomas, 357. 
Hamilton. Alexander, 31, 32, 262, 312, 

326. 330, 412. 
Hamlin familv, 221. 

Africa, 221. 

Asia, 222. 

Cvrus. 221. 

Hannibal, 221. 
Hampden, 19 
Hall, Lvman. 411. 
Hancock. John, 70, 71, 78, 92, 140, 161, 

173. 282, 367, 368. 
Hannibal, 78. 
Harper, 30 
Harrington familv, 389. 

Abigail (I)unster), 135. 

Abijah, 306. 

Caleb, 365. 

Daniel, 373, 374. 

Jonathan, 135, 305, 366, 388, 390. 

Levi, 366. 

Robert Munroe, 390. 
Harrison, Gen. Wm. H., 261, 262. 
Hastings, Edmund Tidwbridge, 220. 

Edmund T., Jr., 221. 

Elizabeth (Cotton), 220. 

Isaac, 375. 

John, 220. 

Jonathan, 220. 

Samuel, 376. 

Samuel, Jr., 376, 378. 



420 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



Hatch, John B., 221. 
Hayden, Horace E., 3G7. 
Hayward, James, :jti9, 370. 
Heath, General, 110. 
Hedge, Professor, 24. 

Kev. Frederick H., D.D., 296. 

Susan, 24. 
Henrv, Patrick, 400. 
Higi;inson, Francis J., 290, 298. 
Hill, Elizabeth, 226. 
Hoar, Colonel, 135. 

Leonard, 80. 
Hobart, Rev. Peter, 104. 
Holmes, 2>'>8. 
Hopkins, Edward. 83. 

Kev. Samuel, D.U., 165. 

Stephen, 159. 
Horace, the Latin poet, 212. 
Horton, Kev. Edward A., 106. 
Houdiii, Cai)taiii, 210. 
Howe, General, 407. 
Hudson, Hon. diaries, 125. 254, 390. 
Huger, Francis Kinlock, 404. 

Gen. Isaac, 404. 
Hull, Commodore, 249. 

Gen. William, 2.56-258. 
Hunt, Nathaniel P., 296. 

Thomas, 207. 
Hutchinson, Thomas, 194. 

J. 

Jackson, 207. 

Col. Henry. 220. 241. 

Francis, 100. 

Joseph, 111. 

President Andrew, 283, 285-291. 
James, St., court of, 07. 
Jar vis, Charles, 71. 
Jay. John, 413. 
JeiTersoii, I'resident Thomas, 51, 52. 63, 

237, 2.38, 274, 282, 280, 400. 
Johnson, Abram, 253. 

Andrew, 358. 

Joshua, 06. 

Louisa Catharine, 66. 

K. 

Key, Francis Scott, 248, 249. 
Keyes, Lucy, 358. 
King, Rufus, 32. 
Kirkland faniilv, 143. 

Daniel, 143. 

George AVhitetield, 146. 

Mrs. C. M., 271. 

Mrs. Samuel. 140. 

Kev. John Thornton, D.D., 86. 
143, 140, 151. 1.52. 1.54. 

Samuel, 14.3-146. 148, 150, 151, 155. 
Knox, John, 340. 

Genera!, 112, 113, 201-204, 210, 
229, 231, 275, 278, 282, 283, 312, 
320, 372. 



44, 106-113, 218, 
312. 



Lafavette, 11, 12, 1-5. 82, 109, 11.3, 180- 
188, 203, 204, 211, 275, 279, 308, 
310-330, 405, 407, 413. 

Edmond, 187. 

Madame dc, 333. 
Lane, Henry, 72. 
Langdon, Caroline, 227. 
Laurens, John, 401. 
Lee, Charles, 110. 193 377, 396. 

Col. \\'m. Kavmond, 256. 

Henrv, 279, 280. 400. 

Kichard Henry, 401. 
Levaseur, Monsieur, 330. 
Lillie, John, 278. 
Lincoln family, 101-113. 

Abner, l65- 

Benjamin, Jr., 44. 

Caleb, 104. 

Countess of, 102. 

David, 105. 

Deborah, 357. 

Ebenezer, 104. 

Gen. Benjamin, 
229, 282, 301, 

Hosea H., 101. 

Isaac, 105. 

Jacob, 103. 

James, 105. 

James Otis, 44. 

Joshua, 104. 

Loring, 105. 

Lvdia, 105. 

Lvdia (Lorinc), 104. 

Luke, 104, 100, 302. 

Luther B., 101. 

Marv, 105, 112. 

Mordecai, 103. 

Percv, 106. 

President Abraham, 103, 286, 299, 
358. 

Rachel, 101, 105, 106, .302. 

Rev. Calvin, 101, 106. 

Samuel, 103. 

Solomon, 103. 

Stephen, 105. 

Thomas, 104. 

Thomas the Cooper, 103, 107. 

Thomas the Husbandman, 101-105. 

Thomas the Miller, 103. 

Thomas the Weaver, 103. 

William, 104. 
Little, 211, 
Little & Brown, 345. 
Livermore, J<din, 296. 
Livingston familv, 411. 

Colonel Brockholst, 412. 

Philip, 411. 

Robert R., 412. 

William, 399. 
Locke, Amos, 386. 

Benjamin, 386. 



IKDEX OF NAMES. 



421 



Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 347. 

Stephen, Jr. 34. 
Lorlng, Deacon Joseph, 380, tJ»l. 

Jonathan, 379. 

Lvdia. 380, 381. 

Polly. 381. 
Lothrop, Jenisha (Kirkland), 155. 

John H., 155. 

Rev. S. K., D.D., 155. 
Louis XIV., 105. 
Lovell, Master, 28. 

Stephen, 2iJG. 
Lovejoy, Kev. Elijah, 172. 
Lowell family, 93. 

James Kussell, 348. 

Judge John, 30. 
Lucius IlL, Pope, 343. 
Lyman, Joseph, 34. 

M. 

Macomb, General, 253. 
Madison, President, 63, 226, 245, 2o8, 
Makepeace, Hester, 138. 
Malcolm IL, King, 130. 
Marion, Gen. Francis, 277, 402, 403. 
Marshall. Chief Justice, 310. 
Emilv, 40. 
Josiah, 39. 
Mason, Daniel, -ISS. 
Jeremiah, 344, 345. 
Joseph, 383. 
Mather, Cotton, 102. 
Mauduit, political agent, 45. 
May, S;\muel, 112. 
Meriam, Asa. 105. 
;Merriam, Rufus, 367. 
Middleton, Colonel, 404. 
Mifflin, Gen. Thomas, 408, 409. 
Monro, 130. 
Moore, Dorothy, 105. 

Lvdia, 116 
Morrill, Rev. Mr., 370. 
Moselev, Ebenezer, 213. 

Edward Strong. 213, 214. 
Hon. Ebenezer, 213,319. 
Saiiuiel, 23, 24. 
Metier familv, 308. 
Moultrie, General, -309. 
Muhlenburg, General, 409, 410. 
Mulliken, Lydia, 382. 
Munroe family, 9, 130-137, -370, 389. 
Abraham, 389. 
Anna, 374. 
Anna (Smith), 133. 
Captain. 136, 1-37. 
Capt. Edmund, 142. 
Capt. Georaie, 131. „ „ „, 

Col. William, 131-133, 368, 3 

.373, 382, .389. 
David, 132, 389. 
Doctor, 131. 



Munroe, Dorcas, 129. 

Inrign' 'Robert, 132, 374, 375, 389. 

Georire, Baron of Fowhs, 131. 

James, 64, 1-32, 142, 389. 

Jedediah, 370. 

John, 389. 

John, 3d, 378. 
i Jonas, 132, 389. 

I Joseph, 68. 

Ueu/^'Edmund, 117,132, 135, -38^ 
Pamelia, 142. 
Robert, 117, 131, 365. 
Sir Robert, 131. 
Stephen, 378, 389. 
Thaddeus, 389. 
"Uncle Jonas," 134. 
William, 130,133. 
William, the immigrant, 134, 1-3D. 
Muzzev, Amos, 361. 
Amos, Jr., 305. 
Ebenezer, 387. 
Rev. A. B.. 296. 
Rev. William, 13.3. 

N. 



Napoleon L, 3, 164, 165, 218, 246, 249. 
Nash, N. C. 126. 
Nelson, Tiiomas, 401. 
Nixon, Thomas, 207. 
Noailles, 308. 

Norris, Thomas F., 296, 298. 
Norton, Jacob, 58, 59. 
Rev. Andrews, 51. 



o. 

O'Hara. General. 3.30. 
Oliver, Chief Justice, 49, 19.i. 
Oneida Indians, 253. 
Onondaga, Indian f hief, 14J. 
Orne, the Patriot. 116. 
Otis familv, 8, 9, 21-47, 1.3. 

Bethiah, 24. 

Elizabeth, 44. , 

Harrison Grav, 21, 28, 31, 32, 34, 
.36, 37, 88. 90,_93 

James, 13, 26. 37, 41-46, 68. 283. 

Mrs Harrison Gray, Jr., 39. 

Nathaniel, 2.^. 

Samuel Allvne, 28, 110. 

Wm.F.,39. 
Ovid, 212. 
Owen, John, 296. 



,2, 1 Paddock's Artillery, 229. 

Paddv, William, 35. „ ^^ ., 
Palfrey, Rev. Cazneau, D.U., t)6. 



Palmer, Ann, 77. 



422 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



Pares, Judith, 77. 
I'arkerfamilv, 1] 4-129. 

Amy, 114. 

Andrew, 127. 

Capt. John, 114, 118, 129, 209, 226, 
283, 361, .304, 3«0, 370-378, 383- 
389, 391, 394. 

Daniel, 228. 

Ebenezer, 114, 129. 

Isaac, 220, 228. 

John, 110, 117, 119, 125, 127, 128, 
130, 139. 

Jonas, 114, 127, 128, 365. 

Jonas, 2d, 378. 

Jonathan, 125. 

Josiah, 115. 

Lvdia (Moore), 119. 

Margaret (Jarvis), 228. 

Mrs. Theodore, 123. 

Thaddeus, 114, 128 

Theodore, 114, 118-127. 

Thomas, 114, 125. 
Parkhnrst, John, 378, 386, 387. 

Nathaniel, 378. 
Parsons, Judge Tlieophihis, 31, 93, 216. 

Surgeon Usher, 200, 207. 
Payson, Ruth, 358. 
Peabodv, Augustus, 39. 
Percy, Lord, 28, 370, 381, 392. 
Perkins, Tiiomas H., 34. 
Perrv, (I'hristoplier Kavmond, 260. 
PerrV, Connnodore O^ II., 103, 249, 
260-207. 

Commodore Matthew Calbraith, 
208. 

Oliver H., Jr., 265, 267. 
Peter the Great, 3. 
Pliillips, Jonathan, 97. 

Samuel, Jr., 110. 

Wendell, 173. 
Phinney, Maj. Elias. 314. 
Pickens, General, 403. 
Pickering, John, 217. 

John, Jr., 217, 218. 

Octavius, 218. 

Timothy, 216, 218. 
Pierce, Henrv L., 279. 

Mrs., 55". 
Pierpont, Rev. John, 90,155, 317. 
Pincknev. Charles, 323. 
Pitcairn," IMaj. John, 302, 364, 366, 367, 

372, 379, .392. 
Pitt, William, 9. 
Plantagenet family, 10. 
Po]ie, Alexander, 43. 
Popkin, John, 228. 

John S., 229. 
Porter, Asahel, 305. 
Porter's Hall, 237. 

Prescott, William, 29, 34, 284, 316, 395. 
Prince, James, 318. 
Prince's Chronology, 23. 
Proctor, 264. 



Putnam, Gen. Israel, 283, 353, 396. 
Putnam's Regiment, 213. 
Pym, 19. 

Q. 

Quincv familv, 8, 9, 22, 36, 38, 65, 77- 
"100, 173. 
Col. Josiah, 79. 
Dorothy, 78. 
Edmund, 77-80, 99, 100. 
Kliza S.. 98. 
Gen. Samuel M., 99. 
John, 80. 
Josiah, 13, 21. 35, 37, 77, 80-98, 

153, 283, 313. 
Josiah, Jr., 77, 81, 91, 96-98. 
Josiah, .3d, 90. 
Mrs. Edmund, 81. 
Mrs. Josiah, 85. 



R. 



Ra\-mond, John, 133, 373. 
Reed, Abiij-ail (Stone), 128. 

Betsey, -387. 

Charles, 387. 

Colonel, 136. 

Joshua, 387. 

Marv, 128. 

William. 128. 
Renan, Eri est, 124. 
Revere, Paul. (i8, 368. 
Ripley, Rev. Ezia, D.D., 339. 
Ro famih', 130. 
Roe tanii'lv, 1.30. 

Ocon,' 1.30. 
Rochanibeaii, Count de, 187, 188, 283, 
330, 334. 

General, 218. 
Rodgers, Commodore, 268. 
Rogers, Helen, 305. 

Judge, 305. 

Major. 1-35. 

P(dly, 132. 

Secretary, 202. 
Royall Professorship, 227. 
Russell. Joiuithan, 25, 42. 

Abigail, 25. 
Rutledge, John, 492. 

s. 

Salem (negro), 292. 

Sanderson". Col. Henry S., 248, 249. 

Elijah, .307. 

Mrs., 1.34. 

]Mrs. Marjxaret, 248. 
Sarirent, Hosea, 200. 
Schuyler, General, 257, 412. 
Screvener, Gen. .1. H., 410. 
Sewall. Sophia, 1.34. 
Shakespeare, 43. 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



423 



Shaw, Chit'f Justice, 36, 305. 

Samuel, 913. 
Sl.avs Rebellion, 30, 109, 133, 151, 2'.8, 

226, 300, 373. 
Shepard, Kev. Thomas, 303. 
Sheridan, Richard I'.rijisley, 63. 
Shirley, Governor, 226. 
Siuionds, Ebenezer, 387. 
Joseph, 387. 
Joshua, 365, 387. 
Skeneando, the Indian Chief, 147. 
Smith family, 58-62, 389. 
Abi<^ail, 66. 
Abigail C, 134. 
Anna, 132. 
Anna (Parker), 132. 
Beniamin, 132. 
Col. Francis, 362, 364, 366, 370, 

381, 392. 
Isaac, 28. 
John M., 296. 
Lucy, 2;)6. 
Sparks, Rev. Jared D.D., LL.D., 155. 
Spencer, General, 213. 
Sprague, Charles, 90, 333. 
Stanley, Dean, 124. 
Standish, Miles, 9. 
Stark, Gen. John, 244, 284, 396. 
Stearns, Hannah, 119. 
Stebbins, Rev. Rufus P., D.D., 84. 
Steuben, Baron Von, 15, 109, 204-208, 

276, 283, 332. 
Stone, Anna, 115. 
Elizabeth, 211. 
John, 115. 

Rachel (Shepard), 115. 
Susanna, 222. 
Story, Judge Joseph. 31, 223, 255, 313, 
Streame, Elizabeth, 22. 
Strong, Rev. Mr., 162. 

Governor, 202. 
Stuart familv, 10. 
F. T.,27'8. 

Gilbert, 89, 265, 277, 283, 334. 
Stnvvesant, Governor, 240. 
Sullivan, Gen. John, 244, 407. 

William, 34, 90. 
Sumner, Benjamin, 73. 
Charles, 223. 
Charles Pinckney, 222. 
James, 73. 
Job, 222. 
Sumter, Gen. Thomas, 403,404. 
Svdnev, Algernon, 20. 
Syms,"Kev. Mr., 303. 



Tappan, Professor, 152. 
Tarleton, General, 403. 
Tavlor, Father, 3(i, 342. 
Thacher, Surgeon, 197. 



Thatcher, Henrv Knox, 203. 
Thaxter, Rev. Joseph, 316, 318. 
Thomas, Joshua, 34. 
Thomson, Charles, 159. 
Tidd family, 389. 

Benjamin, 378. 

William, 374, 375. 
Tighlman, Colonel, 326, 410. 
Towne, Judith, 358. 
Trumbull, Col. John, the artist, 271, 
324. 

Gov. Jonathan, 379. 
Tuckerman, Rev. Joseph, D.D., 179. 
Tudor family, 10. 

William, author, 30. 

Judge, 228. 

u. 

Underwood. Deliverance, 385. 
Joseph, 384, 385. 



Van Buren, President Martin, 67, 290. 

Vassall, Colonel, 191, 194. 

Viles, Joel, 386. 

Vinton, Rev. Dr. Francis, 266. 

Virgil. 212. 

Vose's Regiment, 209. 

w. 

Walcott, Robert F., 100. 
Walcutt, William, 266. 
Waldo. Da iel, 34. 

Peter, 343. 
Walker, Rev. James, D.D. LL.D., 92, 
318. 
Jos ph, 292. 
Ward, Gen. Artemas, 29,-354, 395, 396. 
Ware, Rev. Ilenrv, D.D.. 44, 293-296. 

Rev. Henrv, "Jr., D.D., 296, 343. 
Warren, Abigail (Collins), 233. 
Dr. Johii, 233. 
Dr. John Collins, 233. 2-34. 
Dr. Joseph, 117,225,233,400. 
Gen. James, 26. 
Washington, 17, 24, 27, 63, 108-113, 
13.3, 136, 186 210, 215, 216, 2:!9, 
241 244, 257, 259, 269-282, 309, 
310, 313, 317, 323-335, 350, 351, 
354, 372, 373, 396, 398, 400-415. 
Martha, 85, 194. 
Marv, 85. 
Waterhouse, Dr. Benjamni, 112. 
Wavne, General, 326, 328, 407, 413. 
Webb, Colonel, 2.j7. 
Webster, Daniel, 8. 52, 66, 69, 235- 
239, 283. 290, 317. 318, 346. 
Hon. Ebenezer, 235. 



424 



INDEX OF NAMES. 



Wellington, Benjamin, 382, 383. 
Wenivss Colonel, 403. 
Weslev, John, 383. 
West, "Rev. Dr.. 152. 
Wetherby'p Tavern, 70, 361. 
Wlieelock, Jonathan, 133. 

Rev. Dr., lU, 140. 
Whitconib. Col. Asa. 300. 
White, Haffield, 207. 
Whitney, Sarah, 127. 

Georg;e, 48, 51, 53. 
Whitteniore, Samuel, 361. 
Whittier, John (i., 201. 
WiiTsjlesworth, Rev. Dr., 149. 
Wilde, Samuel S., 34. 
Wilder, Abel, 355, 35G. 

David, 100. 



Willard, President, 149. 

Sidnev, 290. 
Winship, Lvdia, 382. 
Wiuthrop familv, 9, 238. 

Robert C. 238. 
Wirt, William, 2^8, 255 
Woodbridjje, Rev. John, 125. 
Wright, John, 115. 

Marv, 115. 
Wyer, Edward, 135. 

Elizabeth, 135. 



York family, 10. 

Youn^, Rev. Alexander, D.D., 102. 



314-77-2 



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